Aftermath
by Afalstein
Summary: ...And that was the last time we saw Numbuh 1. We all missed him so much... but I think Wally took it the hardest." The last days of Sector V, and the struggle of each member, as told by an heir of their legacy. 2x5 and 3x4. Now Complete.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

_You never really know people until they're gone. Or at least, you don't appreciate them enough. You just don't think about everything they must do until they're not doing it anymore._

_Maybe not. I guess I can't really speak for everyone, but I certainly know that's what it was like for us, after Nigel left. There was just this big, gaping hole where he used to be, this missing gap in the action that he used to fill. The first few missions we went on afterward, we even had this pause, this moment where we were waiting for him to make his "BATTLE STATIONS!" call. It was like the first time he went missing, except worse, because you knew there wasn't anything to do._

_We got used to that, after a few rounds. But we couldn't get used to the feeling._

_It was a feeling we all had. It's not something you can really describe, unless you've felt it before yourself, and then you recognize it whenever somebody else has it. I'd say it felt like a hole, except that a hole has sides. I'd say it felt like a whirlpool, but a whirlpool moves. It didn't really feel like anything, just this sort of vast emptiness inside where you knew you used to have something. It threw you off kilter, knocked you out of balance, just made things generally… just wrong._

_And that messes other stuff up. Because everything normal seems wrong, you can't see when things turn generally wrong. I say you know when others have it, but you can only really see that if you're over it, because if you're not, you're too busy trying to sort yourself out to see anyone else._

_I think, if it hadn't been for that, things would have never quite gotten as close as they did back before the Reworking. One of us would have noticed something, I'm sure. I probably should have been the first, even if I never was the most observant one. The funny thing about the Reworking was not that it happened, but that it got as far as it did._

_We shoulda just gotten over it, grown up a little, but I guess everyone likes to hold on to their childhood memories. Most just vanish, whether you want them to or not. It's not often you get one that you need to get rid of. We should have, but, like I said, we weren't really thinking clearly. We all missed Nigel so much._

_Yes, we all missed him, but I think Wally took it the hardest._

* * *

**A/N: So, yeah, I promised this a while ago, but I'm a lazy cow, and some other things came up that I didn't foresee. This is meant to be a companion piece to my one GKND story, _To the Stars_ (of which I have a grand total of ONE chapter written.) It will hopefully detail Sector V's response to Nigel's departure, and the subsequent history of KND in general. This chapter is nearly impossible to review, but please do so anyway, or just tell me ideas of your own you've had about the future.  
**

**I don't have much of this done at all, but I hope to update it more or less regularly. And I can nearly promise I will finish it. Nothing annoys me more than an unfinished story.**


	2. Promises

**Promises**

* * *

"Abby, you've just gotta talk to him."

Numbuh 5 sighed and turned from the computer. "Numbuh 2, can you cut Numbuh 5 some slack here? She only been at this job two weeks! She's gotta get ready for Kuki's sis graduating, twenty somethin' villains out there still sore cause they never got the cake, and a Father who's plannin' another attack on this bum treefort!"

"Another? Hoagie walked over and frowned at the screen. "Jeez. You'd think he'd have given up after last time. The guy practically tore the whole place apart."

"Why couldn't Nigel justa left that thing behind?" Abby groaned, passing a hand over her face. "Or at least mail it home, or something. Den we wouldn'ta had this crazy Father trying to break into every KND place trying to find the thing!"

Shrugging, Hoagie answered. "It's not like he had a lotta time. He probably even forgot he had it. Besides, we didn't know Father was gonna go ballistic like that."

"Yeah…" A sigh came from Abby as she slumped over her desk. "Ah know."

There was a short silence. Numbuh 5 half-lay across the desk, her usually tightly bound hair in a frazzle. Hoagie stood behind her, studying the floor.

After a pause, Abby sighed and sat up. "Okay. Now what was you saying?"

"Ummmm…." Hoagie rubbed the back of his neck, then looked at her decisively. "Numbuh 4. You've gotta talk to him, Abby."

A groan. "Look, Hoagie…"

"I know you're busy and under a lotta stress, but so's everyone else here! I mean… We've all been fighting Father off, helping out at moon base, doing different projects... Numbuh 3 hasn't even watched a Rainbow Monkey show in days! It's not like you're the only one with a lot on your plate."

Another groan. "Hoagie, it ain't…"

"He's not acting normal!" Hoagie insisted. "Every night I go up and find him staring up at the sky. Just staring! The rest of us stopped doing that days ago! He doesn't watch anymore wrestling shows, and he's been nearly buried in his room the past couple days. He just sits in there and reads. READS! This is Numbuh 4!"

"Look." Abby straightened in her chair and frowned at Hoagie. "If you think he's so all-fired bananas, why don't you just go up there and talk to him yo'self?"

"I did." Hoagie sounded slightly put-out. "He always says the same thing. He doesn't miss Nigel, he's not acting weird, and he doesn't need any help." Hoagie looked down. "He also said he hopes I fall into a black hole."

Abby's face altered slightly. "Black hole, huh?"

"Yeah." Hoagie swallowed just slightly and then looked up, eyes smiling. "Not hard to guess what he's thinking about, huh?"

Abby said nothing for a moment, but just sat there looking at Hoagie, arms folded across her chest. Then she spoke. "An' if dat's what he told you…" She said, pointing. "…his best friend, what makes ya thinks gonna be different if Numbuh 5 talks to him?"

"Well, for one thing, you're better at talking to people than I am." Hoagie looked at her pleadingly. "Besides, he respects you. You two are like… I dunno. Brother and Sister. And anyway, you're the leader! He's gotta listen to you!"

"Yeah, whoopee." Abby snorted. "Leader, huh? He's gonna shape up and behave just cause Abby tells him to, and because Abby's supposed to be the leader?"

"Well, yeah…" Hoagie started to reply, but stopped halfway. Abby seemed to be hugging herself, and she wasn't really looking at him. For a moment, his eyes strayed to a dusty pair of sunglasses sitting on the desk next to her.

He sighed. "Okay." He admitted, pulling up a chair and plopping down into it. "But you are the leader. Somebody's gotta talk to him, and you at least have the right to do it. I mean, don't you have to know what's up with your teammates? So he can't tell you to mind your own business, cause you are already. "

Abby closed her eyes. She nodded.

Hoagie looked at her and tried to smile reassuringly. "You don't… it's not even such a leader-thing to do, Abby. It's just a sort of friend thing. Y'know? I mean, you're not doing it because of team efficiency thing, it's more a 'we're-worried-about-you-cause-you're-acting-weird' sorta thing."

Abby chuckled. "Yeah, Numbuh 5 sees how saying things _dat_ way is gonna help it along."

"Heh… It's just an idea." Hoagie rubbed the back of his head shamefacedly.

"Yeah." Abby nodded. She took a deep breath. "Yeah, you're right, Numbuh 2. Numbuh 5'll talk to him, just as soon as she gets done with this battle plan." She turned back to the desk. "Tomorrow _ain't_ gonna be pretty, baby."

"Okay." Hoagie moved toward the door. "I gotta go up to moonbase, something they want me for on the ships, so I'll leave you to it. But try to get outside. Don't just stay put here all day."

* * *

_"You understand your orders then?" The tall figure of the commander looked down at her. "You are to stay put, all day, unless orders dicate otherwise."_

_The small girl stared up and bobbed her enormously oversized hat up and down._

_Cree stared at her for a few moments longer, and then her gaze softened. "All right. Get to it, then, Abby. And be sure not to move. There's supposed to be some new tactical squad Father has. We shouldn't engage them unless we're at full strength."_

_Abby nodded and submerged herself into the bushes._

* * *

Abby emerged from the office several hours later, her red hat crammed down firmly about her head. She took a glance around. Kuki was flopped across the couch, idly flipping through channels. The refrigerator was wide open, and there were a number of Rainbow Monkeys lying about. Numbuh Two was nowhere to be seen.

She frowned. "Hey, Numbuh Three." She asked, walking up to the couch.

"Hiya Abby." The usually bubbly Asian's head did not turn from the television. "Numbuh Two left about an hour ago. Something about…"

"Abby knows all about dat." Numbuh 5 rolled her eyes. "What she came to ask was, ain't you supposed to be manning the communicator?"

"Oh yeah." Kuki rolled over, looking up at Abby with a plaintive expression. "But nobody called for the last five minutes, and I was getting booooored." She shrugged. "If it rings, I can just hop up and answer it."

After studying her for a minute, Abby nodded. "Kay. Just make sure you do. We all gotta pull our weight around here, do our duty, y'know?" She took a look around. "Is Numbuh 4 still around here?"

"Not here." Kuki pouted, folding her arms. "He's still stuck up in his room. He's been there all day." She perked up as a thought hit her. "Maybe I could run up and see how he's doing!"

Abby's mouth curved a moment, but she suppressed it. "Naw. You better stay here, in case Moon Base calls again." She looked up at the stairs with a sense of foreboding. "I'll go and see wut he's up ta."

* * *

_"Stay right there, Numbuh 5!" The voice rang commandingly through her communicator. "Do you hear me Abby? You are to stay right there!"_

_Abby risked a peek out through the bushes. "But… They're picking on this one little kid, and they've got this enormous machine that they're…"_

_"And that's exactly why you are not to engage them!" Cree's voice snapped at her. "You have neither the equipment nor the intel to take that thing on!"_

_"But…" Abby peeked again. The sight was not one you could simply watch._

_A huge, four-legged, crab-like contraption was smashing around the street, long tentacles curling from its sides. From high in the dome-like cockpit, the shadowy form of five figures (or perhaps one big one, she could not say.) could be seen laughing at the controls of the disk-shaped machine. It seemed intent on squashing a small, brown-haired boy in spectacles who was running about, screaming. _

_She ducked back in. "They're gonna kill him sis! Or worse! I gotta do something!"_

_"You're not doing anything until we get there to back you up!" came Cree's sharp reply. "You stay there! The others and I will be right there to take care of it, but you stay put!" _

_A fresh scream caused Abby to look up. The boy seemed to have given up all pretense at dodging, and was simply running, a flat-out, honest race for life that spoke of desperation. The crab-machine came plodding behind, slow but relentless._

_Abby's hand flew to her mouth. That road led to the gorges… in those narrow areas, they would corner him in no time, and then… She gulped as she clicked the transmitter again. "Sis, they're gonna…"_

_"Stay put! End transmission!"_

_The radio fell into silence, and Abby looked after the distant figure of the racing boy and the plodding machine with a sense of foreboding…_

* * *

"These upgrades are quite impressive, Numbuh 2." 362 walked around the craft, nodding appreciably. "Quite a step above the things I've been getting out of Numbuh 74.239 lately."

"Heh." Hoagie grinned, wrestling with a screwdriver as he added a small box to the front console. "They're just some projects I've been working on lately."

362 raised an eyebrow as she passed the engine. "Working on pretty hard, I would imagine. These prototypes look very well-worked out, you must have spent a substantial amount of time on them." She paused by the main body of the ship. "You're certain that this thing should evade most known sensors?"

Hoagie shrugged. "Most. It's hard to say for sure, but I had some of my buddies run it through everything they have, and nothing came back." He looked up, his brow wrinkled in thought. "Say, what's this thing for, anyway? I just do production models, not really custom jobs."

362 picked a piece of rust off the cabin door. "High profile Black Ops stuff. Something 20,000 asked for. We don't want any reports, that's why you're up here personally."

"Just wondering." Ducking back into the console, Hoagie squinted at the dark. "I haven't been up on the Moonbase much lately, and I was thinking maybe there was something going on that I should know about."

"None of your sector has." 362 nodded. "We missed you at the last general assembly." She frowned at the back of Hoagie, which was pretty much all she could see of him at the moment. "I know you guys have been busy, with Father's new vendetta and all, but if you need help, you just have to ask."

"Ehhh… It's nothing big." Hoagie's voice came floating out. "We just haven't felt like doing much of anything lately. Numbuh 4's been just sitting up in his room, Numbuh 3 has kinda dried up for the moment, Abby's still trying to cope with being leader, and I've… well…" Hoagie's head struggled out, looking a little puzzled. "Well…" He scratched his head, then shrugged. "I've been busy."

"Indeed." 362 looked back at the engine. "Sounds like you all have been."

"It's been like that, yeah." Hoagie nodded.

Nothing followed, and Numbuh 2 disappeared into the console again. The silence of the hanger was filled with tiny clinks and occasional mutterings. 362 remained outside, staring at the cabin, cockpit, and engines of the craft. Finally she spoke.

"You guys are still dealing with it, aren't you?"

The sound of clanks stopped. Slowly, the head and yellow goggles came up, staring at her.

She smiled, half-heartedly. "He was a major part of all you guys, Numbuh 2. It's not like you can really hide from it. Everyone watching your sector knows it, even if they don't know why." She looked down at the floor. "It's like there's this big gaping hole inside you, and you're not sure what to do with it…"

She looked up at him again. "Isn't it?"

Hoagie sighed. He set the wrench down and ran a grimy hand through his hair. For a long moment he stared down at the half-finished work in front of him. "It's… different." He finally managed. "A lot different then I thought it was going to be."

He shook his head. "I guess we never really thought how much Numbuh 1 meant to us. I mean, we kinda did…" He shrugged again. "Really hit us back in the GROW-UP incident…"

"The what?" Rachel arched an eyebrow.

Hoagie's face suddenly changed. "Oh! Um… the uh…. The one time… you know… when we first openly faced against Father?"

"What does that have to do with it?" Rachel seemed puzzled.

"The big thing is," Hoagie avoided the question. "there's no one to keep us in check anymore. No one to make sure we get things done." He glanced over at her. "I mean, you know our sector. We're all kinda crazy in our own way."

"Practically everyone in the Kids Next Door is." Rachel nodded.

"Yeah… except for maybe you. And Nigel." Hoagie frowned. "But the point is, we got used to being crazy, cause we knew Nigel would slap us down to business if we went too far. He was kinda the center, y'know, the thing that kept us together. He knew how to subdue Numbuh 3, restrain Numbuh 4, enliven Numbuh 5, and…" He scratched the back of his neck. "…get me to focus, I guess. Or show some attention."

Rachel nodded. "And now…?"

"Now," Hoagie turned back to the computer. "Now we need to learn to do that ourselves. It's not something we're really used to, but we need to."

"Yeah…" Rachel nodded again, staring at the floor. "I suppose we each need to find our own way of dealing with things…" She bit her lip.

"What?" came Hoagie's muffled voice.

"Nothing." She shook her head and looked over at him. "Look, are you guys sure you can handle everything down there? I could send some reinforcements or something, take the heat off of you for a while."

"Good one. The 'heat'?" There was a chuckle. "I shoulda thought of that…"

"Hoagie." Rachel closed her eyes.

"Eh, Father's not the problem." Hoagie's muffled voice came up. "We can take him. But I'm kinda worried about Numbuh 4. He's been acting funny."

"I could give him leave." 362 suggested.

There was a sudden bang from inside and Numbuh 2 came up, rubbing his head. "No. Bad idea. Numbuh 4 hates not having stuff to break."

"If you say so." Rachel shrugged. Hoagie disappeared again. "What about Numbuh 5? How's she holding up?"

A short pause. "She's doing okay, I guess. It's hard to tell. She's a little unsure about the whole leader business, and it's been rough, with Father and all."

Rachel nodded slowly. That measured up, given Abby's record.

"Truth to say." Hoagie's head came out. "I guess I'm a little worried about her, too. She took Nigel leaving real bad. I mean…" He shook his head. "Those two went _waaaaay_ back."

* * *

_The team raced down the narrow gorge, rain pounding down all around them. The lightning flashed and the thunder boomed hollowly all around the barren wasteland._

"_You're sure they went this way?" Cree cast a look down to the red-hat bobbing along at her side. _

"_I'm sure!" Abby kept running, arms and legs pounding. "See? Look at them tracks! You can't mistake 'em!"_

"_It's a big machine, that's for sure." Cree glanced around. "Father's bringing out the… whoah! Look there!"_

_A flash of light illuminated the scene, and it was burnt into Abby's memory forever. The huge, crab machine she had seen was poised at the end of a precipice, arms spread out, gloating over the tiny figure of a boy who hung desperately to the cliff. A long, coiling arm was winding out from the side, making its way toward the terror-stricken boy._

"_They're gonna kill him!" Abby screamed. Cree's only response was to put on an extra burst of speed._

_Flames burst from the metal arm, engulfing the boy. The fire caught on his arms, his clothes, his hair. He screamed, and the thunder roared._

"_KIDS NEXT DOOR! BATTLESTATIONS!" Cree screamed, leaping forward._

_The five in the cockpit turned in apparent surprise, the flames lighting up their soulless eyes._

_Cree flew through the air with all the grace of a Sector commander and slammed into the enormous machine. Abby could hear the guns of Numbuhs 8A and 8B to either side of her, pounding into the monster._

_The crab-mech reeled with the unexpected attack, tottering backwards. With a scream of machinery, it tumbled over the cliff, falling to an unguessable depth._

_The brown-haired boy was falling too. He was losing his grip, faltering, weakening…_

_And Abby shot forward and grabbed hold of his arms. "We got you, kid." She assured him. "We're the Kids Next Door. You're gonna be okay."_

* * *

Wally turned halfway as the door swung open. "Oh." He turned back. "Whadda you want?"

Abby looked around the room as she stepped inside. "Numbuh 5 jest wanted to see what you was doing up here." Her hand lingered on the frame of the door for just a moment. "Numbuh 3 said you'd been up here all day, so Numbuh 5 wondered what was up."

"Nuttin's up." Wally scowled at the desk as she walked forward. "I just been sittin' up here with these cruddy books all day." He looked over at her. "So now you know, so you can get outta here."

"Uh-huh." Abby's gaze hardened. "See, dat's the other thing. You gotta do something about that mouth. You jest can't go around telling people to fall into black holes and stuff."

Wally shrugged "He shoulda."

"Numbuh 2 wuz trying to help you, Numbuh 4." Numbuh 5 crossed her arms and stared at Wally. "He was worried. Heck, Numbuh 5's worried, now that she sees ya."

"Don't need to worry about me." Wally muttered. "Everything's just fine." He glared at her especially hard. "Don'tcha have some Leaderin' things to be doing?"

"Doin' one right now." Abby glared right back. "If the team has a problem then Numbuh 5 has a problem, and Numbuh 5 aims to…"

"Well, I already told ya I don't have a problem." Numbuh 4 glared at her over his shoulder. "So neither do you, so get the crud out of my room."

"Look, Numbuh 4…"

"Aw, fer cruds sake shut it." Wally snorted. "I told you, nuttin's wrong with me, so stop actin' like yer Miss-know-it-all. You're not fooling anybody. You don't even have the slightest idea wot yer doin' up here."

Abby blinked for a moment but continued staring at him. "You ain't acting normal, Numbuh 4. You gotta get over Numbuh 1 leavin' and…"

"Who the crud said it had anything to do with Numbuh 1!" Numbuh 4 exploded. "Why would I be upset about Numbuh 1 leavin? I couldn't care less where Numbuh 1's gone! He could be in the Zimbabwe Nebula fer all I care!"

"Uh-huh." Abby frowned. "Ya gotta get over this and focus on your job, Numbuh 4. Nigel woulda wanted us to keep the Kids Next Door goin', he wouldn'ta wanted us to just sit here doin' nothing."

"We been fighting off Father fer a month or so now." Numbuh 4 growled defiantly. "That ain't nothing, you know."

Abby blinked. "Well, okay, but ya know that…"

"Look, just cut it out." Numbuh 4 glared directly at her. "You ain't saying anything worth hearing, and I ain't interested anyway. So get out and leave me alone."

"Stop acting like such a baby, Numbuh 4." Abby kept her arms crossed. "You haven't done anything asides fight since Nigel disappeared. Just staying up here, ignoring everybody, yellin' at anybody that tries to talk sense into you… Seriously, you're whining and pouting here like a little six-year old. Ya need to learn to…"

"To what!?" Numbuh 4's eyes were burning. "Grow up? Is that what you were thinking? I need to grow up?" He half-stood. "In case you fergot, we made a promise to _somebody_ that we wasn't ever gonna do that!"

Abby stopped, her eyes slightly widened. Her arms uncrossed.

"Never mind that it's gonna happen anyway." Wally snorted, throwing up his hands. "Never mind that in a year or two, we're all gonna be but through the mind grinder and fergit each other, fergit what's happened, fergit him, heck, even the promise!" He was pacing back and forth now, in tiny, furious circles. "Never mind that! We gotta job to do, and we gotta do it until they decide we've done enough."

Abby stared at him, absolutely silent. Her hands were trembling at her sides.

"It don't even…" Wally slumped back down into his chair. He looked at her, eyes still burning. "It don't… don't even matter what we do! Nigel was the best of us! Nearly as good as me! And look at him now! Gone!" He slammed his fist into the desk. "No matter what we do, we're all gonna grow up someday, and then what's the good of all this crud? Huh?" He looked at her once more. "But never mind that. "WE gots our orders. And we follow our orders, no matter what that means to our friends." His eye fixed her. "Ain't that right, miss LEADER?"

It occurred to Abby, somewhere in her mind, that she should say something uplifting at this point. Something that would cut to the heart of the matter, and remind Numbuh 4 of the entire purpose of the KND.

But nothing came to mind.

Slowly, Numbuh 5 backed up to the door, opened it, and disappeared down the stairs, looking very much like the little girl she was.

* * *

_"I'm really sorry." The little girl sat on the chair by the bed, staring at her feet as they kicked back and forth. Her large red hat was in her hands, and she twisted it nervously. "I wuz gonna go and help ya, but my leader said to wait until the others got there, and I needed to hold my position, and…"_

_The mass of bandages on the bed didn't move._

_Abby glanced about a bit before answering. "The… uh… the doctor says… he says you're probably never gonna be the same. You'll probably look like that the rest of yer life." She blinked tears from the edges of her eyes. "I'm… I'm really sorry… if… iffen there's anything I kin do…."_

_"What's this group you're in?" The question came floating from the bandaged head, small in the enormous white bead. "Kid's Next Door, you said?"_

_"Uh…" Abby blinked at the sudden change of topic. "Yeah… they…we… we're supposed ta be top-secret, you can't ever tell nobody about what…"_

_"They're top-secret too?" The bandages sat up, the eagerness apparent. "Really? Do they go on top-secret missions and have all sorts of cool gadgets? Do they have leaders, and… and… bases, and uh… and… and stuff like that?"_

_Unable to understand why the boy was so interested, and a trifle nervous as to whether she was supposed to answer, Abby nodded._

_The bandages fell back onto the bed, apparently satisfied. "Wow." _

_There was a silence as he apparently mulled over this information. Abby glanced from the door to the bed, uncertain as to whether she should simply swear this boy to silence, or tell Cree to send him to the decommissioning chamber. The latter seemed grossly unfair after what they had done, but on the other hand…_

"_Can I join?"_

_Her thoughts suddenly dropped out, fell into a deep dark hole, flipped over, and did a double take._

"_What?"_

"_Can I join? The Kids Next Door, I mean?" Two eyes blinked at her from inside the mass of white. "It just sounds so cool, I mean, how can I join, is there anyway I could…" He gestured, trying to imply what he could not say. "You know?" _

_If he hoped for a straight answer, he was disappointed. The little girl at his bedside stared, gaped, emitted meaningless, garbled half-phrases. "But… I… you… not a… I think…" She stopped, then changed tactics, "Well, you see, my sister, she… I mean I don't… For outside people…" She sought for the right words, but could only end with, "Your hair!"_

_For a few moments, the two stared at each other, speechless, waiting for the other to go on, or explain, or… something._

_Finally the bandages spoke. "So… Is that a yes?"_

* * *

The door to her room opened and clicked shut. Abby did not even look up, she already knew who it was.

The seat beside her creaked slightly as Hoagie sat down. With a sigh, he folded his hands, simply staring at the floor. He did not say anything, and neither did she. They simply sat, in companionable silence.

Finally, Hoagie cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable. "I… uh… I heard from Numbuh Three how your talk with Numbuh Four went."

"Then ya knows all about it already." Abby closed her eyes. She had known this was coming. "Ya probably heard all about how Numbuh 5 completely bombed on it and left Numbuh Four worse than before."

"Ummmm…." Abby heard rather than saw him rub the back of his neck. "Sorta… I mean… no, you didn't bomb it, I think your talk really helped Numbuh 4."

"Oh really?" A snort. "How exactly?"

"Well…" Hoagie thought hard for a moment. "Uh… you probably…" He gave it up. "Okay, maybe not so much. But I still wouldn't say you bombed it."

"Yes, I did." With a deep breath, Abby lifted her head from her hands and stared to the ceiling. "Numbuh 5 bombed it as shor as she could. Don't hardly know how it coulda gone worse."

"You coulda yelled at him and told him to just stay in his room." Hoagie suggested. "Or you might've given him a direct order and just kicked him out of the KND when he didn't listen. Or you could've…"

Abby stopped him with a glare. "Could ya be quiet a moment and let Numbuh 5 mope here a sec?" She sighed. "Okay. So maybe Numbuh 5 didn't do as bad as she might've. But she did bad enough. She argued with Numbuh 4, and she lost. Everythings exactly the same as it was, except now Numbuh 4's angrier, and he's more sure of himself." Abby shook her head. "Don't know if we even could get him back to normal now. What Numbuh 1 wuz thinking when he made Numbuh 5 the leader…"

"Oh, c'mon." Hoagie simply could not let that statement pass. "He was thinking you were the best equipped to handle the team. And you are. I mean, I didn't get anywhere with him when I tried."

"Didn't make it worse neither."

"Neither did you." Hoagie snorted. "You just think so. I mean, from what I heard, you hit Numbuh 4 pretty hard. He didn't really answer all your questions, just kinda… dodged around them." He looked over at her. "He didn't know how to answer you either. He just exploded with what was bothering him."

Abby's head raised an inch or too. "An' cause he did," She spoke slowly, thinking as she spoke, "jest getting it out is gonna help him some."

"Huh?" Hoagie looked confused. "I was gonna say he'll have to think about what you said. What are you talking about?"

Abby's face cleared. She let out a little laugh and patted Hoagie companionably on the back. "Nuthin' Don't worry about it, Numbuh Two."

Still confused, Hoagie nonetheless replied with a smile. "There, see? So you didn't bomb it. In fact…" He hesitated a moment, then went on. "In fact, for someone who's still getting over Nigel herself, I'd say you did really well."

Abby froze. Slowly her head turned to face the boy sitting beside her. He seemed to be carelessly staring at the floor, but she could see, from his nervous little glances at her, and the rapid twirling of his thumbs, the high pitch to which he was aroused.

A slow, shuddering sigh forced its way out of her, and she eased herself back down to the seat, blinking furiously at the floor.

"It's… It's not so obvious." Some strange desire to explain himself forced Hoagie to continue. "But… I dunno. It's kinda what I expected, I mean, you two went way back, and… I… it always seemed like you… well…" Hoagie coughed. "Well… never mind. But… I just sorta figured…"

"Yeah. Abby gets it." Eyes closed, Abby nodded. "Abby guesses… well, she thinks… she never really thought about it like that before."

"Yeah, well, that's kinda the thing." Another embarrassed laugh from Hoagie. "I think half the problem is doing stuff so we don't have to think about it."

Abby looked over at him again. "Since when are you so smart, anyway?"

"Heh." Hoagie rubbed the back of his neck again. "I dunno… just talking with Numbuh 362 today, I got some things brought to my attention. Guess I hadn't been thinking about too much about it before then."

"Huh." Abby grinned, shaking her head. "That's funny. Wouldn't have ever pegged you for the deep type."

Hoagie grinned back. "Never really did give that impression, I guess."

* * *

_"… this is where they'll be training you." The small six year old girl gestured to the area below, where cadets were dodging around huge, spider armed robots.. "Jest wanted to give you an idea of what yer in for."_

_The bald, bespectacled boy behind her blinked worriedly. "This looks hard." His eyes followed a tall blonde ten-year old who was fighting one bot single-handedly. "REALLY hard."_

_"Don't worry any." The small girl bit her lip, but continued on. "You'll get into the Kids Next Door, I promise. If it's the last thing I do, I'll make sure of it."_

_"You're not going to be much use if you're COLD in the grave." Came another voice from behind her. "Ha! Get it? Because we're in this artic place, and its…"_

_"Can't really say the same for your pal." The red hat bobbed as the girl turned to regard the other boy, a chubby boy wearing a flight hat WAY too large for him. "Listen. You're in here cause we messed up and I told you I'd make it up, and YOU'RE here cause he said you were a friend of his."_

_"He is." The bald boy put in. "We've known each other since…"_

_"The point is." The girl silenced Nigel with a wave of her hand. "I'm gonna help Nigel get through here, but YOU'RE on your own. Got that?"_

_The boy backed up, eying her nevously. "Got it!" He nodded rapidly. "No problem at all! Wasn't even figuring on it!" _

_Turning back to the railing, the girl tried to scowl, but only succeeded in pouting. "Just so's we understand each other."_

_The chubby boy slowly eased away from the wall, moving closer to Nigel. "Say," he said, tilting his head on one side. "Who are you, anyway? Nigel keeps calling you 'Numbuh 5', but if that's your name, it's the corniest…"_

_The dark-haired girl swung round again, her face full of childish indignation. "My name is Abby, okay?" She growled. "But you WILL call me Numbuh 5, or I'll… I'll pound you."_

_"Okay." The chubby boy shrugged. "I'm Hoagie P. Gilligan." He grinned, putting out his hand. "But you can call me anything you like, Abby."_

_Numbuh 5 swatted Hoagie P. Gilligan with her hat._

* * *

The constant drone of the television was the only sound as Abby stepped into the lounge. At one far end she could see Hoagie, perched precariously on the chair next to the communications monitor, nonchalantly munching on chips. On the couch sat Kuki, looking much the same as she had this afternoon, except now the only thing on was some monster truck rally.

"Hey, Numbuh 3." Both looked up as she entered the room. "Has Numbuh 4 come down yet?"

"Nope." The little girl shrugged, her face still blank.

"Hmmm…" Abby looked up the stairs, rubbing her chin, trying to look thoughtful. "Been up there a long time, hasn't he."

"Yep." The girl turned back to the television, apparently not much interested.

"Hey, Numbuh 3." Abby spoke as if struck with a new idea. "He's gotta be getting' pretty hungry up there. How 'bout you run up there with some Rainbow Crunchies and see what he's up to?"

The change was dramatic. Kuki's head bounced around, her eyes wide and bright. "R..r…really?" She asked. "You think so?"

Abby shrugged. "Sure. See if you can perk him up or something" She paused in thought a moment. "Mebbe not Rainbow Crunchies, though. See if we got any of those Rusty Burgers left in the fridge."

"I'll bring them both up!" Kuki bounded off the couch, flying from fridge to pantry to microwave. "And maybe a blanket, and my Lovable Loneliness Rainbow Monkey, and some…" she gave up as she made for the stairs.

Hoagie and Abby watched her bounce up the stairs, then listened as her cheerful babble faded upward.

Slowly, Hoagie grinned at Abby. "I should've thought of that."

"All about people, Numbuh 2." Abby smirked. "Gotta know how to handle people. 'Sides, it frees up the TV." She jumped onto the couch and flipped to a new station.

"That's not gonna really solve the problem." Hoagie stuffed another handful of chips in his mouth. "At least, not what's causing it."

"Eh." Abby shrugged. "Might not work all the way. But it should cheer him up, and that's a start." She cast a glance over at him. "Y'know, I'm actually surprised you ain't more messed up than you is. You was buds with Numbuh 1 even before Numbuh 5 met him."

"Well…" Hoagie shrugged, as if it were obvious. "I've had more time to get used to the idea of Numbuh 1 being gone than you other guys, just like you've had more time than 3 and 4."

It took Abby a few minutes to realize what he was talking about, but eventually she nodded. "Yeah." She agreed. "Yeah, we did."

* * *

_"Explain this again to Numbuh 5." Abby eyed the boy suspiciously. "She didn't really believe your first story about 'escapin' from the Splinter Cell worm-thingies, she kinda believes your second story about this 'Dr Time and Space Constipation…"_

_"Continuum." Hoagie winced._

_"…but she really ain't sure whether she believes this last story of yours. First, that the Splinter Cell ain't really real, second, that there's some big space organization that's chosen Numbuh 1, and third, that they're gonna take him out into space?" She glared at him. "Jest what kinda fool do you take Numbuh 5 for? And why'd you wait so long to tell her anyway, if you've known this since that get-together of yours?"_

_"I thought it was a joke." Hoagie fiddled with his thumbs, staring at the floor. "That's what Numbuh 74.239 said, when I asked him." He rubbed the back of his neck. "But lately…" A little cough. "I've been hearing more stuff, and now with all this TREATY business…"_

_"You're starting to think it might be true." Abby stared at him, watching his quick, awkward nod. "Abby swears, by all that's good an' holy, if yer makin' this up, she's gonna whoop you so bad…"_

_"I'm not making it up!" Hoagie looked up, and Abby realized he wasn't. He was blinking, and his eyes were watery. "Do you think I'd make something like this up?"_

_Letting out a slow, even breath, Abby counted to ten, giving herself time to calm down, to think, to assess the situation. "Okay." She finally answered. "When do ya think this is gonna happen?"_

_Hoagie shook his head. "Can't say for sure. My best guess would be sometime two weeks from now. It's gonna be secret, so they're gonna need a distraction."_

_"They'll probably do it during a mission, to give an explanation." Abby rubbed her chin. "Two weeks… Delightful Children's birthday, probably."_

_"That wouldn't keep the whole KND occupied." Hoagie disagreed. "Just our sector."_

_"They'll figure out something." Abby waved this off. "Sounds like they got everything else covered." She thought for a bit. "Dang… now this stuff about the treehouse and Lizzie going crazy is makin' sense too."_

_"See?" Hoagie appealed. "Whadda we gonna do?"_

_Abby turned to the wall. She rested her head against it a moment, clenched and unclenched her fist, and breathed in and out through her teeth. Then, with an air of decision, she turned back and faced Hoagie._

_"First off, we can't tell Wally. Or Kuki." _

_"Duh." Hoagie rolled his eyes, forgetting himself for a moment._

_"Second." She narrowed her eyes, in thought. "We need to get ready in case it comes out like that. Get some stuff together, keep a sharp eye on Numbuh 1, all that."_

_Hoagie gave another nod. "And?"_

_"And…" Abby took a deep breath, thinking the last one through. "And if at any time, during the cake hunt, we get the feeling they're setting it up for him to leave, we…" She gave a little swallow and nodded. "We let him go."_

_Hoagie gave a slow, even nod._

* * *

"I'm heading to bed." Abby commented, rubbing her eyes as she got off the couch. "Nuthin' good on TV anyway."

"Yeah, good idea." A snort came from Hoagie, still at the communications monitor. "I might hit it myself in a few…"

A sharp beeping from the console stopped them both. Hoagie tapped a few buttons and peered at the screen in a puzzled way as some files came chattering out of the computer. Foot paused on the stair, Abby watched, waiting to hear the news.

Picking up the printout, Hoagie's eyes grew wide. "It's a priority RED!"

"Really Extreme Disaster?" Abby moved to the computer. "What for? They ain't issued that since the ZERO incident."

"They sent it out during the Treaty battle too." Hoagie corrected her. "It was just nobody could respond in time." He squinted at the text. "But that's not what's weird. What's weird is that Numbuh 86 sent it out."

"What?" Abby was at the console now, peering over his shoulder. "What's she sending them things for?"

As Hoagie's eyes ran over the lines, they grew wider and wider. Finally he turned to Abby, face bewildered.

"Numbuh 362 is missing."

* * *

**A/N: READ! REVIEW! Write of bananas and monkeys! Or whatever else comes to mind as you read this. I have anonymous reviews enabled now, so you have no excuse.  
**

**So. Finally getting somewhere with this. This story should have much longer chapters, but hopefully less of them. I'll try and update each week.  
**

**At least that's the plan. Wouldn't be the first that fell apart. But again, I promise, I WILL finish this. I hate unfinished stories.**

**Hopefully each chapter will be something like this. A few shots of the future, interspersed with memories of the past. I'm also gonna try to work in the speaker from the first chapter, but I'm not sure how. Maybe an extra chapter between each, submitted at the same time as the new chapter. Could work. Anyway, the speaker will eventually come out with more details about "The Reworking."  
**

**Ah well. Hope you enjoy. Next chapter will come up with the search for 362. Some of you might guess where she is, but I'd like to keep it a secret.**

* * *


	3. Predestined

_I suppose we should have known, right from the start, what had happened to her. Looking back now, it all seems so plain and obvious, but at the time it was an utter surprise. KND was in chaos for weeks, searching for her._

_We were all in a daze, I think; more or less on autopilot that whole time. We just went through the whole search procedure, gave and received reports. Numbuh 86 gave the orders, but she was as lost as any of us. She never had any real commanding ability, just an aptitude for power. Numbuh 60 perhaps had things under control better than anyone else. _

_The end was inevitable, I suppose, though history always seems that way. It's hard to imagine things turning out any other way than how they did, even if things came to a hair at the time. Funny, that no matter how many times things come that close, they always work out somehow in the end. Perhaps they just get that close to teach us not to be reckless. I can't be sure. Certainly Numbuh 5's sacrifice gave us time, time to rest before the battle._

_It wasn't technically the start of The Reworking, but it laid the seeds. Things didn't drastically change, but they did change. Perhaps the later change would never have ended as it had without the smaller changes. We can never really know, I suppose. And whatever the KND historians may say, to me, it was the beginning. The end of all we know._

* * *

**A/N:**** Okay, so I suck at updating. The companion chapter to this will be up tomorrow. It's done, I just wanted some more time to polish it. Don't need to review, but it would be fun.**

* * *


	4. Politics

"Father's mansion cleared." Abby spoke into the microphone. "No casualties."

"Acknowledged, Numbuh 5." Came the weary reply. "Continue on to Stickybeard's last known position, infiltrate and verify."

"Roger."

"86 out." The radio clicked off.

With a sigh, Abby leaned her head against the control panel. "How long we been at this now?" She asked, with a glance to the back. "2, mebbe 3 weeks?"

"Somethin' like that." Wally snorted. "Whole KND on full alert, searching across the planet for one cruddy girl. Keep this up any longer, and one of those crazy adults is bound to attack us. And what the crud was that about 'no casualties?' Numbuh 3 nearly got freez-i-fied back there!"

"Yeah! And Wally got hit by that one laser blast." Kuki pointed out.

"Oh, c'mon, guys." The reply came from Hoagie, settling into the front seat. "That happens every time we go in there. Besides, it's not like either of you are actually dying or anything."

"And 'nearly' only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades." Abby twirled around in her seat and glared at Numbuh 4. "Numbuh 5 wuz thinkin' of reportin' your laser hit, but you keep saying you're fine."

"Of course I'm fine!" Wally's face grew red. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Uh-huh." Abby turned around again. "Anyway, even if Numbuh 5 had reported it, Moon Base probably wouldn't even take you in right now, unless ya was dying or something." She leaned over toward Hoagie and tapped the screen. "Numbuh 2. Set intercept course for the Candirebbean."

"Gotcha." The engines rumbled into life as the craft lifted off the ground.

"This whole thing woulda gone a lot better if Numbuh 1 had been in charge." Wally grumbled from his seat, arms crossed.

Kuki stared down at the floor. No answer came from Abby, but Hoagie threw Numbuh 4 a disgusted look. "You're just saying that. We got hit just as bad the last time we went in there, and we had Numbuh 1 with us that time."

"Only after he left to win the scavenger hunt." Wally's glare came right back at Hoagie. "And we had 363 to deal with that time too, so…"

"Thought you said you didn't care about Numbuh 1 being gone." Abby responded, face unreadable. "Sure seems like you're taking it bad."

"I am NOT!" Flustered, Wally looked away and folded his arms. "Not at all! I was… just thinkin', that's all."

"Then keep yer thoughts to yourself."

Wally rolled his eyes, but subsided nonetheless. An uncomfortable silence descended over the cabin, filled only by the rumble of the engines and the occasional beep from the control panels.

Chewing her lip, Kuki glanced at the other three, then cleared her throat. "So… why's Numbuh 86 doin' all this anyway?" Kuki cocked her head. "Isn't Hermie supposed to take care of things when Numbuh 362's gone?"

Wally's eyebrows jumped. "Hey, yeah, ain't he? What's that cruddy 86 up to now?"

With a sigh, Abby's head sank to her hands. "Okay. One, 65.3 wuz in charge of paperwork. In a time of emergency, like this, that's the Global Tactical Commander, or Numbuh 86. Two, Fanny knows more about Rachel than most anybody, so she's the best equipped to handle the situation. And three…" Abby paused for a moment, turning to look over at the two. "Numbuh 65.3 was decommissioned last week."

Hoagie's eyes stayed on the course, but his mouth gave the tiniest upward smirk.

"Oh." Wally's face was bright red. "Uh… I knew that."

"Sure ya did." Abby turned back to the console. "Now that you've got your question dealt with, get your weapons together and get ready. We're nearly at Stickybum's place. Numbuh Five's gonna try and talk to him, but if that don't work, we're gonna have to go in blazing."

The others complied, but Wally seemed unwilling to let her have the last word. "Numbuh 1 wouldn't do all this talking crud." He grumbled, reaching for his gun.

"Well Numbuh 1 ain't here, is he?" Abby spared the boy a glare. "And he made Numbuh 5 leader, so ya'll can just deal with it."

* * *

"_Moon Base made you commander?" Nigel glanced up from his video game, eyes wide behind his spectacles. He still wore them, although his eyes were getting better._

_The chubby boy next to him looked over at Abby, eyes round. "But I thought you were just here for a-SIS-tance! Ha! Get it? Cause she's your sister, and you…"_

_Abby sighed and looked away. She was learning to tolerate this 'Hoagie', but it definitely wasn't easy. Secretly, she was hoping he would get transferred to Sector X or PhD._

_Recovering her thoughts, she nodded. "Ah'm the new Sector Leader, unless Cree gets back here sometime."_

_"Where is Cree, anyways?" Hoagie's face seemed a little… distressed. Or maybe disappointed. It was hard to say. _

_"Cree was called up by moon base yesterday." She heard Nigel explaining to his friend. "Some kind of 'Special Forces' thing she's been called for."_

_"Special Forces? Like decommissioning squad?"_

_ Abby allowed a grin of pride to twist her mouth. "Special Forces means Moonbase, ya fool. The moonbase isn't any particular sector's, so's they get the operatives from all areas. Numbuh 11," She stressed the term. "got called up to be ta be commander of the Black Ops division." Abby smirked in pride._

_"Whoah." Nigel and Hoagie both stared at her._

_"Yeah." She turned back. "An' while she's gone, Abby get's to be the leader of this outfit. So's it time to show what we can do."_

* * *

"Stickybeard's ship cleared." Abby spoke into the microphone again, almost wearily. "No casualties. Confirm negative."

"Affirmative, Numbuh 5." The speaker seemed almost resigned to fate as it continued. "Set course for Convention Center. Central briefing to be held."

Abby's eyes narrowed, but she responded. "Roger. Setting course." She clicked the control off, then turned to Hoagie. "You got all that, Numbuh 2?"

"En route now." Hoagie nodded cheerily. "Should arrive in a few minutes."

"I still say we should have knocked that cruddy pirate's ship out of the water." Wally was crouched, pouting, in his chair. "He coulda been holding the treasure of King Toots in that place for all we know."

"But Wally!" Kuki leaned back to gaze at the Australian. "He was such a _nice_ man! He showed us all around his ship and _everything_!"

"Well that don't mean nothing!" Wally shot back.

"Sure it does." Abby swung round. "Stickybun did that cause Numbuh 5 asked him to. And Numbuh 5 asked so we could make sure Numbuh 362 wasn't anywhere on board there." She turned back. "And she wasn't."

Still grumbling, Wally rolled his eyes. "Not anywhere we _saw_."

Abby chose not to respond, and the ship roared on in silence until finally Hoagie spoke.

"Waddaya think Numbuh 86 wants us all to meet at the Convention Center for?"

Wally shrugged curtly, still a trifle mad. "How should I know? Maybe she wants to tell us all how none of the sectors have found anything."

"But up till now she's done that by sending coded transcripts to the sector leaders." Oblivious to Wally's sarcasm, Hoagie frowned in thought. "Why would she want the whole KND to gather together?"

"Ooooh!" Kuki bounced with a sudden idea. "Maybe somebody found something, and they're making a big party to celebrate!"

"Or planning a rescue, if they found a clue or something." Wally seemed interested by this idea.

"Yeah! Or that!" Kuki nodded. Suddenly she frowned with thought and glanced up at Hoagie. "Wait. If they send the orders to the sector leaders, how do you know about it?"

"Numbuh 2 runs the communicator, 'member?" Abby rolled her eyes.

"Heh." Hoagie rubbed the back of his neck. "I receive the messages and decode them for Numbuh 5." He glanced over at Abby. "Don't have to, though, I guess. If you'd rather I just…"

"It don't make a difference." Shaking her head, Abby silenced him. "Not like we've really discovered anything important yet."

"M'kay." Hoagie shrugged. "But to get back to the first point, why are we going to the convention center?"

"Why don't you ask our fearless leader?" Wally grumbled.

Again there came no response from Abby. She had her suspicions, but she preferred to keep them to herself. No sense in upsetting the others.

Again silence hung heavy over the vehicle, and again it was Hoagie who broke it.

"We're here."

* * *

_"We're here!" The sound of metal touching concrete met the team's ears as the SCAMPER coasted into the moonbase hanger. Hoagie hung up his earphones. "By the way, Numbuh 5 sir, thanks so much for letting me fly us up here! I've always wanted to…"_

_"Yeah, yeah, let's get moving." Abby swept past him, Nigel in her wake. Melvin and Martin, the twins, followed them, and, with a shrug, so did Hoagie._

_Numbuh 274 came toward them. As one, the team came to a halt and saluted. Numbuh 274's leadership might be only four months old (Numbuh 100 had been lost during an attempt to break the Ridiculous Barrier), but in that time he had gained the undying respect of nearly the entire KND._

"_Sector V reporting for duty, Supreme Leader Sir!" Abby saluted._

"_At ease, Numbuh 5." A nod released the four from their salutes. "Come with me, please."_

_He led them through several hallways in quick succession and opened a large metal door. With a faint sense of exasperation, Abby noticed Hoagie staring at the doors as the team passed through. They seemed to be in a conference room containing a single briefing table in the center, a number of chairs clustered round._

"_Have a seat." 274 motioned to the chairs, taking his position on the opposite side. With a few clicks, the room darkened and a hologram popped into view, floating above the table._

"_Sector V," began the Supreme Leader, "your mission objective is to investigate and, if possible, capture a dangerous fugitive from the KND, believed to be hidden somewhere in RB region." Another click, and the image changed to a globe. A single portion flashed red. "One team is already in pursuit, but so far no results have been obtained."_

_Another click, and a dark-masked figure floated into focus. "The fugitive in question is former operative of the Kids Next Door who managed to escape decommissioning. We believe the operative may be trying to contact Father or the Teenz, and form an alliance. If that happens, the matter will be out of our control." The Supreme Leader looked around. "Any questions?"_

_Hoagie raised his hand into the blue light. "Why us? I mean, if you've got one team already on the move…"_

"_Your sector has significant knowledge of the fugitive." 274 paused a moment. "It is your former Sector leader, Numbuh 11."_

* * *

The rumbling murmur of the crowd filled the convention center. Children of all sectors, barely shoved into the millions of tiny seats, waited impatiently as officers milled around below on the pedestal. Numbuh 86 and Numbuh 60 seemed to be conferring with a short, bespectacled eight-year-old.

"That's Numbuh W-40, isn't it?" Hoagie peered down from Sector V's high seat. "Hermie's replacement?"

Hand shielding her eyes from the sun, Abby nodded. "Sure is." She looked over at the others. "Somethin's up, thas for sure."

Wally grunted, but even he seemed to be more attentive than usual. "Kinda looks like they're arguing."

"It's Numbuh 86. Of course they're arguing." Hoagie rolled his eyes.

"Shh!" Abby waved them to silence.

86 stepped up to the podium. "Kids Next Door Rule!" She called, silencing all debate in the center immediately. As the crowd roared in response, Abby wondered if she was the only one who had picked up on Fanny's hesitation.

"Kids Next Door!" 86 called again, "As ye are all no doubt aware, Numbuh 362 has been missin' for the past three weeks, so, as Global Tactical Officer, I will be addressing ye all in her absence."

"Duh." Wally grunted. Abby shot him a look.

"All standin' operatives have bin searchin' fer Numbuh 362 during these past days." Fanny continued, face stone-like, immobile. "We have searched all possible locations, tracked all known enemies, and attempted all manners of tracking and locating her without any result. We can nae keep up this for any longer. The constant occupation of our operatives renders us vulnerable."

"See? What'd I tell ya?" Wally erupted in a whisper, only to be silenced again.

"We must take diff'rnt measures." Fanny motioned to Patton, who obligingly stepped forward. "In accor'dance wit Section B-20 of KND protocol 952, the Global Tactical Officer must now fulfill the Succesion Mandate."

Lightly she touched Patton on the shoulder. "Tag. You're IT."

* * *

_"Something... Blue!"_

"_Numbuh 2, now's not really the time for games." Nigel nudged his friend. "I really don't think Numbuh 5's in the mood right now."_

_The two looked toward the chair in the center. Their leader seemed to be deep in thought, and definitely not in the playful spirit._

_Hoagie shrugged, but gave up the impromptu game of 'Eye-Spy' and turned his focus back to flying. He had been only trying to cheer things up. The entire ship had been silent since they had left moonbase._

_Possibly with this in mind, Nigel spoke. "Where shall we set our course, Numbuh 5?"_

_Abby's head came round to face him. "Region RB, of course. Where Numbuh 274 said she was. What'd ya think?"_

"_Well, yes." Nigel nodded, a faint sense of exasperation above his spectacles. "But where IN Region RB?"_

"_Oh…" Abby rubbed her eyes. "Ah don't know. Try dat one 'Point' place we found the Teenagers grouping around lately."_

"_Roger."_

_There seemed nothing to add to that remark, and the voyage continued on in silence. _

* * *

Operatives all around the stadium fled in panic, but they could not escape Numbuh 60. The words were scarcely out of 86's mouth before he had leapt into the crowd, knocking 20,000 to the ground. "Tag!" he called, and then he was once again up and away.

"Clear out! Scatter!" Abby called, needlessly, for the others had already vanished into the crowd stampeding for the exit. She dodged among the flailing arms and feet and ran for the hangar. If she could just get to the ships, she might be able to…

Something came flying down from the rafters and knocked her to the ground. "Tag." Came the voice of 20,000. "You're IT."

* * *

_Finally Hoagie, once again completely oblivious, broke it. "Why would Cree run away from decommissioning?" The entire Sector froze at his words. "I mean, she knows what happens to them, and she never had a problem before, so why would she…"_

"_Ah don't know!" Abby burst out, and Hoagie looked at her in surprise. "It don't make sense! None of this stuff does!"_

_The others could do nothing except stare._

_Abby had taken off her hand and was wringing it in her hands. "Cree would've never done somethin' like this! Never! She know'd all about the decommissioning, she never had a problem with it before! Why'd she suddenly…." She broke off and mastered herself._

_Nigel looked at Hoagie. Hoagie looked at Nigel._

_Nigel cleared his throat. "Well, sometimes, when the moment just comes up, operatives change suddenly, they become…"_

_"Cree ain't one of them!" Abby snapped._

_"Maybe something happened." The others turned to look at Hoagie. "Like, y'know, something on a mission, that would make her suddenly change her mind."_

_Cocking an eyebrow, Nigel looked over at his friend. "Like what? She's been all on black ops missions these past three weeks, what could happen…"_

_Abby raised her head. "Black Ops." She breathed. "Aw, nuts. Numbuh 2!" She called, "New objective! Set course for 5911 Cherry Tree Lane!"_

* * *

"I can't believe you found me in my ultra-secret suborbital hiding spot _again_." Hoagie pouted, staring at his controls. "I upgraded this thing so much since the last time! I even added that new cloaking device thingamajig! You shouldn't be able to do this!"

Abby grinned. The two ships were calmly floating side by side, for the moment. "Aw, c'mon, Numbuh 2. It ain't the ship, it's the place. Ya always come here. Didn't need to see you to know where you were hiding."

"Hmmmph." Hoagie glared out the window. "I might _not_ have, you know."

"Mebbe." Abby stretched and yawned.

"Hey, that was really cool the way you tracked Numbuh 74.239 and tagged him." The speaker crackled lightly with Hoagie's enthusiasm. "I mean, it took a while, but just following it from your ship's tracker, it was a-mazing!" He paused a moment. "Though I guess it would have been pretty cool if you hadn't. For a couple minutes there, I thought he was gonna get away, and you'd have to be leader."

"You know Abby would've hated that." Abby contemplated her control panel, frowning at a particular button. "Last time she was leader, thing turned out an absolute disaster. No way she going through all that again."

"Oh, it wasn't as bad as all that." Hoagie's voice scoffed. "Or, okay, it was, but there wasn't much you could have done about it."

"Yeah there was."

* * *

_"Don't move, sis." _

_The darkened figure seemed to smile as she turned around. "Abby? They sent you?" She chuckled. "Suppose I should have expected it. You're the only one who really could've tracked me here." _

_"Not too hard once I thought about it." Hands tightening on her gun, Abby tried to think clearly. She stood in the front of the assault team, 1 and 2 on her right, 8a and 8b on her left. "I thought ya might be hiding here while he's out on assignment. Ya always did have a thing for Maurice."_

_"As if you don't." Cree shook her head as she stepped into the light, still grinning. "Horrible entrance, by the way. I keep telling you, dynamic entrances. Break in, knock down the enemy, and get back out before they know what hit them. Otherwise you give the enemy a chance to prepare."_

_"That's the thing." Breathing deeply, Abby forced herself to keep the gun pointed at the dim outline of her sister. "I'm really hoping you ain't my enemy."_

_Nigel looked at Hoagie. Hoagie looked at Nigel._

_Cree looked at Abby. She tilted her head. "What?"_

_"This ain't you, Cree. This ain't anythin' like you." Abby's voice sounded almost pleading. "Ya always been a good an' true agent of the Kids Next Door! Ya wouldn't run like this! Heck, ya even had your formal decommissioning staged for two weeks from now! Ya wouldn't just all a sudden up and run like this! It ain't right!"_

_"Says the seven-year old just starting as Sector Leader." Cree snorted. Her face was starting to turn ugly. "Look, Abs. Decommissioning may not seem like much when you're just beginning in KND, but trust me, when you get to the end, you'll understand."_

_"Ah don't!" Abby stepped forward in anger. "Ya always told me that those who ran was traitors! Ah don't understand this, Cree! What's da good of all dem memories if ya turn your back on everything ya learned in 'em? If you do this, all you gonna use them for is to fight against us!"_

_ "At least I'll have them!" Cree shot back. "What do I owe the Kids Next Door, anyway? I worked for them, I pulled off missions, I saved the world eleventy bazillion times! And now that they're done using me, they think they can just suck all those years out of me, put them on record, and drop me into life?"_

_"Ya told me it was for the good of the KND!" Abby shouted. "Ya said yourself a soldier had to think about the whole team, and not just herself. You're a leader, Cree, ya know this!"_

"_Oh, yes, I was a leader." Cree stepped further into the light. "That was another thing I've done for them. I led you guys, for crying out loud! I trained you, dealt with them, put up with each and every problem you snot-nosed brats could think of, and I took the heat every time we failed, no matter whose fault it really was." _

_8a and 8b took a step back. They were looking rather distressed._

_Cree laughed, her face twisting into a horrid smirk. "Leading is one of the most horrible things to do, but I did it, because I believed it would be worth it, in the end." She spread her arms wide. "Well, here's the end. And what's it worth? What do I get? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. They take it all away."_

"_Those are the rules." Nigel spoke up from the rear. Abby shot him a glance, she had almost forgotten about him._

"_Well, then the rules stink!" Cree's voice lashed at him._

_Abby could no longer see her sister clearly, her vision was blurry, and the gun wavered in her hand. "Cree… this is the last… the only thing they'll ever ask ya to do again! Can't ya just…."_

"_They want to take Maurice from me, Abby!" Cree screamed. "Maurice! And every memory of him! And then who even knows where he's gonna end up! They can't do that!" Calming, she stepped back into the shadows, no more than a dim outline. "I can give a lot, Abby, but that…." The shadow shook her head. "No one has the right to take that."_

"_Well then…" Swallowing, Abby brought up her gun to level. "I… I… as Numbuh 5 of Sector V, I gotta put you under arrest, to be brought back to moonbase for decommissioning."_

_Sector V cocked their weapons._

"_Oh, it's too late for that." The outline straightened. "You may have come to stop me, but I've already joined the Teenz."_

_And hundreds of screaming dark forms lunged out of the darkness at the tiny group of four._

* * *

Sighing, Abby rubbed her eyes and shook her head. "Anyway that ain't the point. Point is, Abby really don't think she's up ta handlin' the whole hog. She just ain't made for that kinda stress. Ya know?"

"Eh." Hoagie pressed a couple buttons and his ship coasted forward. "Not really. I mean, I think you could do a pretty good job. Better than me, that's for sure." He laughed. "Hoo boy. Can you see me at a desk job?"

"It ain't a purty sight." Abby admitted.

But I think you could do it pretty well. I mean, you handle stress better than any of us. And you're kinda like Numbuh 362, and Numbuh 1. So I think you could do it."

Abby did not reply.

"But it makes sense. Nobody ever _wants_ to be leader of the KND. But why'd you choose Numbuh 74.329? I mean, if you wanted to get out of it, he's maybe the hardest one to track down."

"Figured the guy was pretty much leader of the KND anyway, what with all this GKND stuff. Thought I might as well make it public." Humming, Abby drummed her fingers on the dashboard. "All that guy's gotta do now is wait for another hour or two, and then he's set."

"Huh?" The image on the screen looked confused. "Oh, he's not IT anymore!'

"He ain't?" Abby glanced up sharply.

"Oh no." Hoagie shook his head emphatically, consulting something on his control panel. "He tagged Numbuh U-235 as soon as he could. Right now it's…" He consulted it again. "Numbuh 451, whoever that is."

"451…" Abby's eyes moved back and forth in rapid thought. Then they widened.

"Aw crap." She pulled a lever and the engines roared into life. "C'mon, Numbuh 2, we gotta get down there!"

"Huh? But… What… I don't…" Though obviously confused, Hoagie was obeying readily enough, and throwing switches left and right. "Why?"

"Numbuh 451 is Kuki's little sis, Mushi!" The jet shot off towards the blue globe below. "Ya really think we want her as leader?"

* * *

_"Numbuh 5 of Sector V, you are before this board in order to testify as to the events of September 28. A team under your command, charged with the pursuit and capture of the rogue operative Numbuh 11, penetrated a house containing the fugitive and were subsequently ambushed. You failed to accomplish your objective and sustained heavy losses. One member and yourself were badly wounded and two others are currently in intensive care and will probably have to be decommissioned. How do explain this… disaster?"_

_"Numbuh 11 surprised ma sector wid some hidden reserves."_

_"Obviously. Hence the ambush."_

_"Dey had the advantage. Dey was in position and had us surrounded from all sides. There was nuthin' we could do ta defend ourselves."_

_"Did you not scout the area? How were they able to surround you?"_

_"Well ya see, when we entered the room and attempted to talk ta Numbuh 11…"_

_"Stop right there, Numbuh 5. You attempted to _talk _to Numbuh 11?_

_"Yessir."_

_"Was that part of the mission, Numbuh 5?"_

_"No sir."_

_"Am I to understand you entered the room and stood there, talking to Numbuh 11, for a significant amount of time?"_

_"Five minutes, sir."_

_"Numbuh 5, you of all people should be aware of the fugitive's abilities. Did you not consider what she might be up to in that time? Were you not aware that, with such a length of time, she would have been able to easily escape, causing our teams further trouble? One of the first lessons in KND assault is the dramatic entry. It takes the enemy by surprise, knocks them off balance. Why did you wait?"_

_"Numbuh 274, no disrespect or nothin', but Numbuh 11 was one of the best in the KND. Ah thought the least I could do was attempt to negotiate…"_

_"Again, that was NOT the mission. And there would have been plenty of time to do that AFTER the fugitive was apprehended."_

_"I thought she wuz alone, sir. I figgered we could take her anytime."_

_"You're no match for your sister and you know it."_

_Silence._

_"As a leader, your handling of this mission was completely unacceptable. It was hazardous, unprofessional, and entirely without justification. Do you have anything to add?"_

_Silence. Then: "No, sir. You're right."_

"_If it weren't for your impressive track record, I'd almost be think you wanted to lose. As it is, I am forced to remove you from leadership until a fuller investigation takes place. An interim commander will replace you."_

_"Tha' won't be necessary, sir."_

_"And why not?"_

_"I have already stepped down and appointed a new commander."_

_More silence. "Numbuh 65.3?"_

_"Oh yes sir, she turned in the application when she arrived. I haven't had the chance to look it over yet, but it seems all in order."_

_"I see. And may I ask, Numbuh 5, who you have selected as your replacement."_

_"Numbuh 1, sir. Name of Nigel Uno."_

* * *

"Rainbow Monkey Castleland! Allright! Let's get out and go!" Abby jumped out of the shuttle. "Hoagie, is it still…"

"She's still IT!" Hoagie nodded, checking the device in his hands. "And from all appearances, she plans to stay that way!"

"Well c'mon then!" As she ran for the door, Abby glanced back at Hoagie. "And outta curiosity, how'd ya get ahold of the Code Module_ again_? That thing's supposed ta be guarded, ain't it?"

"Ummm…" Still running, Hoagie flashed her a nervous grin. "I… uh… kinda know the guy who keeps watch over it."

"Numbuh 35? Where would you…?" Abby's attention suddenly flew to the front. "Hold up. Here we go!"

The door buckled and crumpled inward under Abby's feet. Without pausing she ran up the stairs, Hoagie close on her heels. Up they went, through the tower, across the battlements, into the keep.

"Where is she right now?" Abby looked back again.

Hoagie checked the module. "Looks like… the one western tower. Or, I guess I should say, the Rainbow Monkey Sweet & Sour Tower. Y'know, the really tall one that…"

"Eyes front! We got company!"

Three huge shapes lumbered onto the path before them. "Hold fast! None shall pass before the gates of this stronghold, for we, the Knights of the Round Towel, shall guard it with our very…"

Two fell under the blast of mustard pistols, the last one was simply bowled over by the running pair. They blasted through the door and continued dashing through the long hallway. Panting from exertion, Hoagie looked over to Abby. "This… this might be a bit more… difficult… than… than I thought…"

"Save it! More company!"

King Sandy stood in the middle of the hallway, towel, shovel, bucket and all.

Two pistols shot forward and clicked as one…

And nothing happened. Abby skidded to a halt and studied it. "Aw, nuts! Of all the times for this thing to run dry!'

"No kidding." Looking over his own, Hoagie frowned.

"Ha!" Sandy smirked at them. "Not so tough now, are we! Let's see how you stand up against some real fighting, shall we?"

Abby rolled her eyes. "Get real, kid. There's two of us and only one of you, it ain't even really a contest…"

And then came a sound that changed everything.

"10 seconds to finalization… 9 seconds…"

Abby and Hoagie heard it. Sandy heard it too, and he grinned.

"8 seconds…"

"Numbuh 5!" Hoagie shouldered his way into the front. "I'll stall this guy! You find Mushi! Hurry!"

"Don't need ta tell me twice, baby!" Abby vaulted off the walls, off the ceiling, and landed on the other side of Sandy. Sandy managed a half-turn before Hoagie landed on him.

"7 seconds…"

"There ya are!" Abby threw open the door, and before her stood Mushi. "Mush-ball, you ain't gonna be leader, ya hear? Abby ain't gonna stand for it!"

Mushi had a silly grin plastered all over her face. "But I wanna win! Besides, being leader sounds so fun! I'm IT! I don't hafta tag you if I don't want to!"

"6 seconds…"

"You gonna tag someone…" Abby reached to her back and pulled out her cargo. "Or this here Precious Pajama Rainbow Monkey of yours is gonna GET it!"

"No!" Mushi's eyes widened.

"No!" Hoagie yelled from his position atop Sandy.

"Yes!" Abby nodded. "So you better tag someone, before I punch his stuffing out!"

"5 seconds…"

Mushi cocked her head, still grinning, but now just a trifle sinister. "Tag who? You?"

"4 seconds…"

Abby stepped back, her face a mass of bewilderment. "No, but you… you gonna tag Numbuh 2! Numbuh 2, get over here!"

"I can't move, Numbuh 5!" Hoagie shook his head. I gotta keep Sandy here!"

"Besides, I don't wanna tag him. He's mean." Behind Mushi's mask, something smirked. "So whaddaya want me to do?"

"3…"

Abby looked around, at the empty hallway, at the Rainbow Monkey, at Hoagie and Sandy, struggling at the ground, at the oblivious and yet strangely manipulative girl before her.

"2…"

"Do it, Numbuh 5!"

She turned back and looked at Hoagie. "Numbuh 2… Do ya… I don't know… Numbuh 5 doesn't think she can handle all that!"

Hoagie looked back at her. "Numbuh 1 did."

"1…"

Abby looked back to Mushi and spoke.

"Tag me."

* * *

_"Cree?"_

_Cree turned around and smiled at her sister, who bounced happily on her bed. "Yeah Abby?"_

_"What's it like being a… a… a leader person?"_

_"A commander?" Still smiling, Cree sat down on the bed next to her sister. "Well, it's not easy." She took off her baseball cap and plopped it onto her sister. Abby loved to play with Cree's hat. "There's a lot of stress, of course, and work, and even a good deal of heartache. At times, you even need to forget about what you want, just because there's no other way to do the right thing." She chuckled lightly. "It's fun some of the time, of course. You get the best room, and the neatest weapons, and you get to boss everyone around. But a lot of the time it really bites."_

_Cree frowned. "See, the thing about being a leader, you practically ARE the team. The responsibility of how they act, how they're equipped, how they're trained, where and how they attack…" Cree shrugged. "It all lies on you. And if things go wrong, the fault lies on you too."_

_"But…" And here Cree ruffled Abby's head. "Somebody has to do it, to help us all fight, and fight well. And if you can cut it, cut it really good, then there's a really satisfying feeling, that a lot of people trust you and look up to you. And--and this is the best, Abs—you really see how you contribute to the war. You get a glimpse of the big picture."_

_"Wow…" Blinking, Abby stared up at her bigger sister in awe. "That sounds really cool… How do you do it?"_

_Cree got up and smiled. "You need to remember a lot of things, Abs. Strategy, weapons technology, attack and defense moves, and what can always possibly go wrong. But there's one thing you need to remember all the time. Command is about people and common sense. The rest is just putting that into action."_

* * *

The new Supreme Leader sat at the table, pouring over the piles of paperwork that cluttered it. Before her sat a number of chief officers, sometimes answering questions, sometimes breaking in with a useful piece of advice, but often simply sitting quietly and watching, just watching, their new leader.

"Numbuh 451…" Abby glanced over to Mushi, sitting at the far end of the table. "This here's some request for a… decommissioning room overhaul?"

Mushi nodded brightly. "I submitted it last week, while Numbuh 362 was still here." She seemed to have forgotten about the entire incident hours before. "The old decommissioning machine just isn't working so well anymore. We need to do it, like, three or four times before it actually works!"

Abby picked up one paper and studied it for a moment. "Numbuh WD-40, whats…"

"It's just W-40, ma'am." The bespectacled youngster tried to ignore the snickers around the table.

"Whatever." Abby waved. "What's this here form about subject leadership replacement and all?"

"Ah." Adjusting his glasses, W-40 smiled. "That is a procedure generally followed for operatives like yourself who have been placed on moonbase permanently. It allows you to either select an unassigned operative as your replacement; or, in the case of a leadership position being open, to select a current team member as the new leader."

"Hmmm." Abby stared at the form for a moment before setting it aside. As she gave out a loud yawn, she stretched up to the ceiling. "Look, y'all, Numbuh 5's awful tired right now, what say we call it a day and all go home." She smiled at them all. "We can continue this first thing in the morning, 'kay?"

After a silent exchange of glances, the officers agreed. They rose, chairs scraping against the hard wooden floor. As he passed, Numbuh 60 gripped her hand. "Good to have you on board, ma'am." He whispered.

The nodding and smiling kept going until the room had emptied, and even after she had left, Abby had to keep it up, all the way down the hall, through the main command room, over to the smooth glass that overlooked the earth. The room was mostly empty except for the night watch of technicians far over by the monitor consoles, and some random pair of Frisbee-playing operatives on the far end of the deck.

Then Abby could relax. Her head could slump forward and rest against the glass, and her face could relapse into a weary, troubled expression. Her arms hung limp at her sides, and her feet felt like jelly.

After today, she could no longer feel like this. Tomorrow, she would have to be firm, unshakeable, a great leader touched neither by fear nor exhaustion. She would need to lead, inspire, train, and uplift an entire world of children she had never met.

So for tonight, she let fear and exhaustion run rampant through her.

"Hey, Numbuh 5."

_Aw no. Not now, jest leave me alone for a bit can't ya?_ But she couldn't. She knew she couldn't. So she turned and faced her newest annoyance. "Hey Numbuh 2."

"You okay?"

"Numbuh 5's jest fine." She lied. "Just kinda tired."

"Oh… ummm… okay." Hoagie reached back and scratched his head. "I just thought I'd come up and, y'know, say hi, see how it was going."

"Hmmm." Abby nodded.

"It's… I dunno, I kinda thought… well sometimes being leader can be a real drag… or… at least…" He stopped to think. "I imagine it can… I don't really know…"

A small smile tugged at Abby's mouth. "Yeah?"

"Well…" Hoagie coughed and twiddled his thumbs. "I guess you're probably gonna be up on the moonbase most of the time, so we probably won't see you very often, and… uh… I just thought I should say good luck… y'know."

"Thanks." Abby nodded. "That all?"

"Uh…" Hoagie looked back and motioned.

Up came Numbuh Three, followed by Numbuh Four. They were standing much like Numbuh Two, hands crossed, feet shifting, nervous and awkward. For a moment the four simply waited, standing apart, waiting for the other to make a move, until finally Kuki jumped forward and hugged her.

"Yay! You get to be leader!" She squealed. "That's gonna be so cool! You can fly big ships, and make missions, and… and… and you're gonna stay up here all the time! Isn't that awesome?"

Abby nodded, eyes blinking. "Yeah. Yeah, Abby guesses it is."

Kuki held her at arms length, suddenly very serious. "We're gonna miss you, though. It doesn't really seem fair… first Numbuh 1, and now you…" She sniffled. "The treehouse'll be really boring."

"We'll find some crud to do." Wally shuffled forward, arms crossed. "I'll bet Father'll attack us with cream-puff cannons or somethin'. We'll find lots of ways to have fun."

"Abby can maybe send ya some troops to help ya out." Abby nodded. She gave Kuki one more hug. "You guys take care of each other now, y'hear?" She let go of her and stared at Wally. "You better watch out for Numbuh Three. She's liable to walk into a tree if you ain't lookin' out."

Wally grumbled and didn't answer. Watching, Numbuh 2 grinned and winked at Abby.

For a moment, Abby felt pretty good about things. Almost… happy, really, with being commander. No matter what she messed up, she knew these three would stick with her, and what with one thing and another, they could help her out of any spots she did not know.

Except they wouldn't be with her. And with that thought, Abby's face grew somber again, and she swallowed. "Y'all best be going now. Abby's got a big day tomorrow, and I 'spect so do you."

Numbuh 2 nodded and smiled. Together, the three walked to the door, Abby following behind. She didn't really know why, it just felt right. At the door, Hoagie paused.

"Don't worry too much, okay?" He managed a feeble smile. "I mean, it's not like you're gonna become a LUNA-tic up here."

"Numbuh 2…" Abby shook her head and smiled. "Ya gotta learn some better jokes, y'know?"

"Heh." Hoagie rubbed his neck. "I guess I've never been too PUN-ny of a guy." He giggled a little at Abby's groan, then grew serious. "Honestly. Don't get too worked up about this thing. I mean…" He shrugged. "You're popular enough, and you've gotta lot of common sense. It's not like you're gonna go crazy or anything."

"Huh." Abby rolled her eyes. "If ya say so. Guess I'm a little over-qualified in that area."

"See?" Hoagie smiled widely. "You'll make a great leader, Numbuh 5! That's all most leaders really need."

This time Abby did laugh, and she shook his hand. "Have a good trip back, Hoagie."

"Right." Hoagie grinned, and then walked away.

Suddenly, Abby's eyes lit up, and she stared after him thoughtfully.

* * *

"These are a lot of new appointments." Numbuh W-40 looked over the papers. "New 2x4 chief for the equipment bay… Security Chief… Communications technician…" He glanced at her over the forms. "You sure we need all these?"

"Positive." Abby grinned. "Trust me on dis. They's the Number One experts in their fields."

"Very well." Numbuh W-40 sighed, closing the folder. "Numbuh's Two, Three, and Four will be assigned to permanent moon base detail."

"Excellent." Abby nodded.

* * *

**A/N: You have read. NOW REVIEW! Grant me insight into the hidden complaints of your thoughts regarding this story! Many thanks to the considerate few who reviewed the PROLOGUE to this chapter. Industrious people, and very much appreciated!  
**

**So, I managed to finish as promised, but I didn't really polish, so if you notice problems, tell me at once. Mushi doesn't count, though. I've heard Mushi described both as an ally and as an enemy of the KND before, I'm not sure if that's been resolved or not, so I just took the cue from my story "Reflections" where Numbuh 362 selects her as the new head of decommisioning. She strikes me as the right personality for that. So that's what she is here.**

**My apologies to all confused parties who thought this might be a Numbuh 4/5 fic. That's my fault, and I've resolved it. Those are the two who the story will focus on, but it is not the pairing. Goodness. Numbuh 5 has been fairly evident so far, as she's the one with the most history, but next chapter I hope to get into Hoagie, and later we'll see 3 and 4 too.**

**Anyway. Next Chapter should be life under Supreme Leader Numbuh 5, with a special emphasis on decommisioning and how the operatives look at it.**

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Report Possible Abuse Add Story to Favorites Add Story to Story Alert Add Author to Favorites Add Author to Author Alert Add Story to Community Archive 1. Prologue2. Promises3. Predestined4. Politics5. Passed By6. Pain7. Preposterous8. Perceptions9. Premonitions10. Puzzle11. Problem12. Prodigy13. Profiling14. Plans15. Pressure16. Pals in Peril17. Permutations18. Passing On


	5. Passed By

_Everyone has heard about Abby's administration. Of course, everyone's heard about Rachel's and Chad's, as far as that goes. But everyone these days remembers her, because she set the stage for the golden era to come. Enemies were defeated, new technology unveiled, and a whole new way of leadership introduced._

_Even during her own short reign, Abby was appreciated. Leaders liked her easy style, soldiers admired her proactive approach, everyone responded to her decisive manner. In fact, maybe the only people who didn't enjoy it was Abby, and her friends._

_Again, history seems inevitable. So it might seem strange to you who read, to learn how hard things became during Abby's last year, as friends disappeared and tensions worsened. You do not think of the grind of routine, the steady loss of that time, because they do not mention it in the books. And very few know of the secret fear that haunted her, even if most are familiar with the result of it._

_Yes, everyone has heard of Abby and her leadership, and most know of Wally and the part he played, but Hoagie and Kuki are nearly forgotten in the archives. This is a shame, because each were nearly as important as their friends, and suffered just as much. They will tell you that Abby had the moonbase overhauled, but they will not tell you who overhauled it. Hoagie wrote his own legacy in the wires and gears of the base itself, and it can be seen today just as hers can. But even beyond this, he played a larger role than many realized, both then and now._

_No one paid much attention to him, it seems. At least, no one ever tried to really find out much about him. I suppose it never really seemed that there was much to find. He was just so trivial, and no one ever thought that there might be a reason for that. _

_The years have passed on, and even since the Reworking, still no credit has been given him. So I write down his experiences here, for despite what appeared to others, even Hoagie had his hopes and horrors._

* * *

**A/N: Decided to submit these along with the main chapter, just so they actually make sense. **


	6. Pain

"That's about the extent of what I can do for you." Hoagie finished. He tightened the last panel, stepped back and admired his work. A glowing cylinder shone from the center of the room, connected by coiling wires and scattered planks to five barrel-like pods. "The pods are much more efficient then the previous table-and-TV setup, and restrain the occupant more effectively. I think you'll find it suitable to your needs."

The head of decommissioning, Mushi Sanban, nodded carelessly from her seat in the corner. She did not seem very interested in the specifics. "So it'll work?"

A trifle annoyed, Hoagie nodded. "Yeah, it'll work. Certainly better than the last one you had in here." He peered around thoughtfully. "You know, Numbuh 5 sir, we should probably think consider some new power sources." Hearing no reply, he glanced about sharply. "Numbuh 5? Sir?"

There was an unpleasant rasping noise and one of the pods opened to reveal Supreme Leader of the KND, Numbuh 5, formerly of Sector V. She stepped out, covered in grease, and frowned at the barrel she had just exited. "Y'know, them things are kinda messy. Not bad, y'understand, jest messy."

Numbuh 2 blinked. "Numbuh 5, sir? What were you doing in there?"

Startled from thought, she looked around at him. "Oh. Hey. Ah, jest testing to see if they was big enough. They're a little snug, but they'll do."

"Are you lookin' forward to decommissionin' or something?" Bouncing up, Mushi ran over, voice shrilling. "Cause that's kinda weird. I mean, sure, you need to test the thing and all, but…"

"Ah, c'mon, Mushi, shut up" Hoagie threw her a glance, half-annoyed, half-nervous. "What were you saying, sir?"

Numbuh 5's face had been rather obscure a moment before, but she shook it off. "Nuthin'. Here, tell ya what, Numbuh 2, how about you and me check out them other chambers and sees how much they need repairing." She stepped out the door without waiting for an answer.

"Uh…" Hoagie stared for a moment. "Okay, sure." The door was a mere detail in Hoagie's scramble to catch up. Finally, puffing and blowing, he came alongside her, and fell back into a walk. She seemed not to have noticed the delay.

"Umm…. Numbuh 5?" Hoagie's face was awash with confusion. "The other chambers don't need any repairing. They were all completely redone when we got the new moon base."

"Yeah." A nod from the Supreme Leader. "Numbuh 5 knows dat. But they wasn't put together too well. I mean, nobody even really knows how them things work!" She squinted at him. "Heck, took you long enough."

Hoagie made his customary neck-rubbing gesture. "I've never really seen tech like that before. At least…" He thought for a moment. "Not up close. But it looks old. Real old. I'm not surprised they needed to overhaul it. It works by collecting all this memory storage stuff from the frontal lobe of the central cortex, and then it sends it into the SuperIncrediblyBigComputerMaBob, and then…"

"Yeah. Abby gets the point. It's fancy." Leadership had made Numbuh 5 a bit more diplomatic in her replies, but not very, and not at all to Hoagie. "But dat ain't the point. The point is, now that you know how, do ya think you could do the others in a shorter amount of time?"

Hoagie shrugged. "I suppose so. Why? What's the rush?"

Now Abby scratched the back of _her _neck. "Eh… Nuttin' big. But could ya try to get them done fast?"

"Sure." Hoagie still looked confused, but he seemed pleased. "I even have some new ideas I could…"

"No." Abby stopped and faced him. "Nuthin' new. Jest git it done, and fast."

And with that, she turned and marched down the hall. Hoagie stared after her disconsolately.

"No new ideas? At all?"

* * *

_"Here, little potbelly. This'll be something new." Strong hands came under the child's arms and lifted him into the seat. The child gazed up, down, and all around him; a rapt expression of wonder on his face._

_"Heh." A round, pleasant face grinned at him. "First time you've been in Daddy's plane, isn't it?"_

_The pudgy face stared back. "Yeth." It nodded._

_"Well, then." The face came up and swung into the compartment. "This ought to be interesting." Chuckling, the face looked back over the top of the blue seat and slipped some goggles over his eyes. "Don't worry. Daddy calls this plane 'Rosie.' He'd trust it with his life!"_

_The little child said nothing as the compartment began to shudder violently, but he did grip the sides of his chair tightly._

_The compartment continued to rattle and shake forward. The child could see the steady forms outside begin to shift and blur into motion. Interested, he pressed his face to the glass._

_"Not now!" said the face, or rather the voice, from up front. "Wait, and then you can look all you like!"_

_With a final shudder, the child felt the ground lift from beneath him. The earth no longer trembled beneath his feet, instead there was nothing but free, unrestricted… nothingness! He was supported from above, not from below, and the sensation was wholly new to him._

_The child heard a light chuckle from the front, and the face appeared above the seat again, still covered in goggles. "Well, that's that. Now, look out the window, and tell me what you see."_

_The child needed no urging. Already his face was plastered to the window, staring in delight at the small houses and cars below. It was so strange to the small child to see everything from so far, to see the things that towered above him spread out like his toy car set._

_His chubby finger poked at the glass. "House?" He questioned._

_The face looked over. "Yes, those are houses down there. Would you like to fly over by ours?" There was a clank and a series of clicks from the front, and the compartment veered suddenly. The child felt the support under him shift from the floor over to the wall. "Hang on!" _

_The balance moved back to the floor, and moments later, a gloved hand pointed to the window. "See? Down there!" The child looked, and although he could not tell the difference, he screamed with pleasure._

_For an hour, perhaps more, the child lived in this weightless world, where he floated and dived with the air. Then came the rattling again, and the shuddering wheels, and he was back again, the firm ground beneath his feet, and it was over._

_A blurry form ran out to meet them, and the toddler saw another face, the one who watched him all day and always brought him food. "Hoagie Gilligan, you fool!"_

_"Who are you talking to?" Grinned the face above him. "Him or me?_

_"You, of course. Who else is a fool around here!" The home-face came up to them. It wore glasses and something of a disgruntled expression, but the child knew by experience that the expression would disappear soon._

_"I was just taking the boy up for a spin." Said the other face, still grinning. "Give him something new."_

_Home-face shook her head in exasperation. "Come along." She said, turning to walk back._

* * *

"Come along then." The officer grunted, pushing the prisoner out the door. "Let's not be unpleasant about all this."

"Un-PLEASANT!" The prisoner screamed, twisting in mid-step, her red hair flying. "Ya better believe it's unpleasant! Ya can't arrest ME, you stinkin' boy! Ah'm the…"

"The FORMER Global Tactical Officer of the KND." The voice came from higher up in the hangar bay. Numbuh 5, supreme leader, stepped off the stairs and approached the elite forces holding Fanny Fullbright in check. "Ya lost that position officially at midnight, but ya really lost it when youse didn't show at 6 like you was supposed to." Leaning back, she studied Fanny almost sorrowfully. "86… Ya said you was gonna go quietly. We had a cake an' everything waiting for ya in the central meeting hall!"

"It's a lie! It's all a lie!" Fanny screamed "The party was a lie! The cake was a lie! Everything was a lie! You were gonna bring me here and then trap me so ya could decommission me, weren't ya! Admit it!"

Abby backed up a step, wincing from the spit. "We wasn't gonna trap anybody unless we had ta. Ya coulda gone out with praise, or with scorn." Shaking her head, Numbuh 5 stepped back. "Ya coulda done either. Ain't Numbuh 5's fault it was this one."

There was a momentary silence. Fanny glared at Abby in mute fury, the elite around stood silent and obedient, waiting. The pilot of the craft, in the middle of stepping out, stood frozen.

"So, can we de-brain her now or what?"

The question shattered the silence like glass, and nearly all the troopers winced. Abby turned, with the faintest image of annoyance, to the speaker, a small girl in purple with a helmet far too big for her. "Mushi, would ya hold on a sec here?" Sighing, Abby moved away, a great weariness about her. "Yeah, go ahead. We're done here."

"Good!" chirped the oblivious little girl. "Okay then, lets get the teenager moving! Through the doors, up the hallway, into the neat brain-sucker thingie! C'mon guys!"

Fanny's eyes burned into the girl. "Ye stupid little brat." She hissed. "Ye can't do nothing right. It oughta be ME, standin' there, taking YOU down. Why, I should…"

"C'mon people! Like, today!" Mushi waved. "I wanna see how the brain sucker works! It's always so cool. And sometimes it lets out sparks, but I'm not sure…"

For reasons of her own sanity, Abby did her best to tune out the girl's remarks as they faded away. She did not turn round, nor did she say anything as the door finally closed.

"This isn't any fun anymore."

Sighing, she turned at the voice, and looked at the pilot. "Na. Maybe it wasn't ever really supposed to be."

Hoagie shrugged as he took off his helmet. "Nigel always enjoyed it."

"Nigel's gone." Abby said flatly. "And he NEVER liked this part. Why'd you volunteer for this one anyways? You coulda just waited it up here." She looked to the other two soldiers, climbing out. "All youse guys…" She shook her head."

"That cruddy girl's been on me half my time here." Wally checked over his weapon belt once more before tugging it free. He looked up at Abby. A grin tugged the edge of his mouth. "Just wanted to see her get what was coming to her, I guess."

"Numbuh 4! How can you be so mean!" Kuki was the very picture of oblivious fury. "You should be happy to see her! I'll bet she felt real sad and lonely!" A few sniffles popped out of the girl. "I haven't talked to her in, like, forever! I tried to talk to her on the way over here, but she was soooo grumpy."

"Wonder why that was." Wally grunted, tugging off his helmet.

"Yeah! I wonder!"

"This is getting bad…" Hoagie sighed. "Numbuh 60 last week was bad enough, but at least he went quietly."

"Yeah. Even had a little party for him with his officers." Numbuh 4 looked unusually somber at the memory. "Saddest party Ah've ever been to."

Kuki's eyes narrowed in thought. "You were crying, weren't you?" She giggled.

The expression on Wally's face changed instantly. "I was NOT!"

"Hey… that's right, you were." Hoagie turned on Wally, his face one huge smile.

"Ah have no cruddy idea what you're talking about." Wally folded his arms, and stared at the ground obstinately.

"You WERE crying!" Still giggling uncontrollably, Kuki pointed at him. "It was right after he shook hands with everyone and went… um…" Her smile quivered a moment. "Well, when he… when he…" It faded entirely.

Hoagie's smile was completely gone. Wally still stared at the ground, but he seemed to be blinking a great deal. Abby let nothing show on her face.

No one felt like speaking. Finally Abby shrugged it off. "Numbuh 5 should get back ta work." She said. "Planning a big raid on the teens. Need to be ready for things." She drew a breath and smiled. "Numbuh 3, ya got those coded transmissions sent off like ah asked ya?"

Oh yeah!" Kuki nodded brightly. "At least…" Her face wrinkled a moment in confusion. "…most of them."

Abby closed her eyes. "Could you get the rest of them things out then? It would be a big help to Numbuh 5."

"Uh…." Kuki stared at her for a moment before regaining her composure. "Sure! I'll go down right now."

"Ah'll go with ya." Wally shrugged, turning toward the door. "I need to get that way anyway to set up the strike teams for the raid."

As the two made for the exit, the one bouncing, the other shuffling, Abby turned to Hoagie. "Numbuh 2, could you… Numbuh 2?" Numbuh 2 seemed to be lost in thought, staring around at all the ships in the hangar bay. "Numbuh 2? You okay?"

Numbuh 2 came to with a start. "Huh? I mean, yeah, miss Supreme Leader sir?"

Abby rolled her eyes. "Jeez, stop spacing out on me, wouldja? What's the matter?"

"I was just looking for a ship that should be in here." Scratching his neck, Hoagie turned around again, studying the whole hangar, then shrugged. "Not so important, I guess."

Abby cocked an eyebrow, but did not comment. "Whatevah. Listen, how's them decommissioning chambers running along?"

"They're fine." Hoagie seemed uneasy. "Most are already functional."

"Good." Nodding, Abby also turned to the door, Hoagie close behind her. "Den everything should be all set for when we grab the Teenz."

"Yeah, about that." Hoagie was plodding along just beside her. "You've been putting the heat on the Teenz ever since you came on, and I guess that's… well, I guess I can understand that, but… this latest attack…" He shot her an anxious glance. "Are you sure it's a good idea? I mean… you've got three sectors in there already in deep cover, and half the KND on call to rush that position. Don'tcha think it's a little…" he gestured vaguely. "…excessive?"

"Hoagie, we might be able to take down Teenz command here." Abby did not lessen her pace. "Don'tcha think that's worth a big attack?"

"Well…" Hoagie scratched his neck again. Absentmindedly Abby noted he did that lot, the back of his neck was quite red. "I guess so. But is there any special… reason why you're going after the Teenz so much?"

Abby seemed to be walking even faster. "There are only major enemies, since Father finally got convinced we don't have that pipe no more." A grin tugged at her mouth for a moment. "Abby's gonna haveta bow out in a month or so, she might as well go out on a high note."

That stopped Hoagie fast in his tracks. "A… month?"

Puzzled, Abby turned in mid-step. "Yeah. Didn'tcha know?"

"Ummm… No. No, I guess not. Sorry, I know I should've…"

"Ah, don't mention it." Abby turned back. "But just so ya know now…" She sighed a moment and seemed contemplative. "It's comin' up fer all of us, Hoagie." She commented to the wall. "And when it comes, we better be set to set an example for all the younger ones."

Hoagie nodded, his thoughts completely elsewhere. "Right… set an example…"

* * *

_The glittering fluorescent lights blinked off gleaming white walls and metal trays. Seats lined each side of the room, and every so often a bustling nurse would hurry past._

_The small child glanced up every time the doors swung open, only to be look down again, disappointed._

_The elderly lady next to him gave him a sharp jab in the side. "Quiet, you!" she admonished, speaking in what she apparently thought to be a whisper. "Yah think yah can just fool around in here? This is a hospital! Why in my day, children would sit like stones untal their elders spoke, and then they'd jump right to it! They oughta..."_

_Hoagie's mind wandered along paths for a moment as his grandmother ran off on one of her tangents. He had been staying with her for a week or so (though why he did not know), and he had gotten rather used to her moods._

_"Why are we heeeere?" He tilted his head at his grandmother, breaking into the middle of a tirade about bed-pans and wheelchairs._

_His grandmother stared at him. "We're here to see your mother, ya twit. Why do ya think! You oughta pay more attention to what's going on here! I know I would. Why in my day…"_

_Mercifully, at this point the door burst open again and chubby nurse came in. "Mrs. Gilligan?" She beamed. "You may come in now. She's all ready."_

_"Finally!" Grandmother heaved her massive bulk upwards, bones creaking and protesting. "Now, hold my hand here, and when we get in there, you shouldn't say anything, or touch anything, and when you get…"_

_Again, Hoagie merely tuned her out as he followed. Even if he did have to keep close, he knew he didn't have to listen. This hospital was fascinating! Everything so new, and shiny… it was like a whole new world! And blinking lights, and switches… There were more things than he could stare at all at once._

_"Here we are!" The nurse turned, beaming again, and opened a door._

_"What, a room on the east side?" Grandmother released Hoagie's hand to argue with the nurse. "Them drafts will kill a person! Why, back in my day, we had full room service and a heated pillow to match! If mah daughter..."_

_Hoagie left the tumult to investigate the cool quiet of the room beyond. It seemed large to him, very large, and rather empty. There was a bed in the middle, of course, a huge, towering bed that rose up before him, and there seemed to be a brilliant window on the far side, but what else…_

_"Hoagie…? Is that little Hoagie there? Where is he, dear, I can't see…"_

_The child stopped, surprised. His mother's voice… but why did it sound so small and weak? And what was it doing here, in this room._

_And there was his father now! Coming round the edge of the bed, face round and bright with pride, arms stretched forward. His face was practically shining. Hoagie felt all happy inside and stretched out his arms to be lifted up._

_The ground disappeared from beneath his feet and he felt himself lifted high, high into the air, and although the sensation was no longer new, he still screamed with glee and waved his arms. High his father lifted him, above the towering bed where he could see his mother, stretched out, face flushed and happy._

_Happy, happy… all were happy. Why were they so happy?_

_He felt the strong arms carry him closer to the bedside, next to his mother, and he kissed her happily. Then his mother's arms stretched out to a curious bundle at her side, and lifted him up._

_"Look, Hoagie." She whispered, eyes shining. "It's your new brother."_

_Brother? Brother? What was a brother? It could not be this small, wrinkled thing cuddled amidst the blankets. It had no eyes, no hair, and it looked naked and cold. Curious, Hoagie poked a finger at the bundle._

_"Careful," warned the voice of his father. "He's not very old yet."_

_More hesitantly now, Hoagie ventured to probe again. The bundle was cold, and wet, but it was soft, curiously soft and tender. And as Hoagie examined the small red mass of skin, suddenly the top of the bundle yawned._

_Hoagie recoiled, amazed, and he heard his mother and father laugh. Father set him down on the ground, and then came down again with the bundle, so Hoagie could see it better._

_"His name is Thomas." He heard his father say. "And he's your little brother, junior."_

_Hoagie reached his hand out again, to feel the soft skin. This thing felt like him, looked like him… this was a brother?_

_"He's very young." His father said softly. "So you're going to have to be very careful around him, and watch out for him. And when he gets older, you'll have to help him, and be a good example, so he knows what to do."_

_Hoagie looked up at his father's round cheerful face in confusion._

_"But you'll learn all that later." His father smiled._

_Hoagie looked down again. A new brother… something to care, and nurture for. A thing which would watch him, and imitate him… This was also new! This feeling was utterly and wholly new, that he, little Hoagie, was now a person of importance, a person who had responsibility!_

_He looked up and nodded solemnly at his father, to show he understood._

* * *

A click, and the recorder was on. Numbuh 2 looked over and nodded at his supreme leader, to show they were ready.

"Numbuh 4, Global Tactical Leader. C'mon over and give ya evidence." The whole room was dark, but some few lights showed the supreme leader, and the witness stand just to the side where the whole room could see them. Abby sat at the head of a large desk, looking down at the papers before her. Hoagie noted that she still dressed exactly the same as she did years ago—short black shorts, oversized blue t-shirt, shabby blue hat.

The only difference was that today she looked very, very angry.

Numbuh 4 shuffled forward, looking very uncomfortable in his full-dress uniform. He stepped up to the stand and cleared his throat.

"Right then." Abby clearly did not want to waste time. "Let's get on wid it. Give your account of the battle, wouldja?"

"Miss Supreme Leader, sir." It had taken Wally a while to get used to the title, but he had done it. "Ah had all my men in position in the sub-orbital zone, as planned. We were gonna lay low, until all the teens were in, like ya said. We finally received the communiqué from the inside teams that the leadership had fully assembled, and proceeded to attack, as planned." Numbuh 4 halted a moment.

"And?" Abby prompted. Ordinarily the court had an arbitrator to field questions, but Numbuh 5 had insisted to conduct this personally.

"And they found out we were coming." Numbuh 4 continued. "Or, at least, they had their ships in the air and were shooting off in every direction. Me and the others tried to grab as many of them as we could, but we couldn't stop all of 'em. Still," and Wally's face split into a grin. "we did manage to capture that cruddy Steve."

"And good job for dat." Abby did not seem any happier. "Thanks, Numbuh 4. Now, the 'teen prisoner' Maurice shall come forward to give the evidence he has volunteered."

There was some mumbling from the collected staff, and a little pushing of chairs and some stood up to see better. Hoagie suppressed a smile. He had recently discovered Maurice's true nature, and rather suspected he had provided the necessary undercover info for the attack. But all the rest of the room was in complete ignorance, and merely wanted to see the famous operative.

But again, there was no hint of admiration, or amusement, on Abby's face. "Okay. So what'd all happened at the gathering."

Maurice was very good. He kept glancing around the room in wonder, and shying nervously away from the guards. At another request from Abby, he finally glanced up at the head desk and cleared his throat.

"Well, dude, like, we were all gathered for some raid on the moon, or some decommandering thing, I mean, I don't really know WHAT it was, but they had salsa, so I mean, whatever."

Hoagie _really_ could not suppress his smirk.

"Anyways, so we was gathered in the gym, like. And Steve, like, you know, that cool guy who has the band? He was all standin' up front with Cree. She's like, y'know, kinda my girlfriend? But not really, cause, I don't know, she's kinda crazy sometimes."

Abby's mouth twitched but said nothing.

"So we was all gathered, right? And all of a sudden there's this loud screaming off to the side, and some kind of explosion. And of course everybody starts screaming, cause they didn't know what all was going on. So some of us starts running for the ships, but me, I'm all in a fog, man, and I'm trying to figure out where everything is, and then the lights goes out, and after that…" Maurice threw up his hands. "Man, I don't know what happened. Say," he looked around again. "Where is this place, anyway? Sure don't look like Jersey."

Hoagie struggled to keep his expression under control, but the faces of the board were a study in confusion. _This_ was the famous Numbuh 9? What had ever happened?

Abby waved her hand. "That's fine, Maurice. Ya can go now, thanks for volunteering information and all. Guards." She motioned.

"Well, hey, you're welcome, but where's that salsa…" the voice disappeared into the distance. Some murmuring could be heard in the board, no one quite understood what was going on.

Abby consulted her paper again, and looked up. "Okay. Last witness. Sonya, would ya come up here please?"

Nervously, the little girl appeared at the stand, glancing at the darkness surrounding her. "I don't know… I mean, I'm not sure how exactly…"

"Keep calm, kid." Abby's face did not look particularly calming, but Sonya seemed to steady herself. "Jest say what exactly happened to your sector during the attack."

With a final glance, Sonya nodded and cleared her throat. "Me and my… my partner, Lee, had just finished setting a bunch of…" She gulped. "…a bunch of charges in the lower sections. And we headed back to the rendezvous point, where we were supposed to meet our commander. He was looking out over the crowd of _teenagers _below…" Sonya winced at the word. "…and seeing what they were up to. I think he was supposed to contact moon base or something. We found him and signaled we were okay, and he nodded. Then Numbuh 89 (He's our newest member, ma'am), came back, from…" She frowned a moment. "…from sabotaging ships, I think. And he came and tapped the commander on the shoulder." Sonya hesitated, and stared down at her feet. She seemed unwilling to continue.

"Well?" Abby was unrelenting. "What else? What happened then?"

"The… the commander went ballistic, ma'am." Sonya blinked. "He's… he's never really liked being touched, and he… he wasn't expecting it, and… and he kinda screamed and fired… I mean, he didn't mean to, but he… well, he…"

"Yeah, thanks, we already know about Numbuh 89's condition." Abby nodded. "Thanks kid. That's all."

Sonya looked down again, and began to shuffle back, then suddenly hesitated and cast a glance at the defendant. "I'm… I'm sorry, Harvey."

A quiet hubbub filled the room as the board consulted notes, data, and reports. One by one, the members came forward and handed slips of paper to the front desk, which Abby took with a nod. Finally, she looked up, and a silence fell over the assembly.

"Numbuh 363." She addressed the defendant at the far end of the table. "We heard your defense at the start, and Numbuh 5 doesn't believe a word of it, especially what with all everybody here said." She waited for any objections, and, hearing none, continued. "We gave ya a crucial role in this mission, and then ya go and screw it up, cause of your stupid 'touch' obsession. If it hadn't been for the light's going out _accidentally_…" She stressed the word, and Wally shot a grin at Hoagie. "…this mighta been messed up even more than it was." She glared at him. "Now this ain't the first time we've talked to you about this problem, and it ain't the first time it's caused problems neither. I don't care what that school counselor told ya, or what gotcha through the academy, we jest don't hold with stuff like that here."

The silence became even more oppressive. Down at the far end, two eyes glared at Abby, and Hoagie winced, knowing what was coming.

"Because of this," Abby stared right back at the eyes, at the young boy. "it is the decision of this _board_…" She checked over the votes one last time. "…that ya be removed from rank, and decommissioned whenever we can."

There was a commotion back by the eyes, and the sounds of a struggle, but nothing changed. Numbuh 363 was flanked by two guards.

"The head of decommisioning, Numbuh 451, is right here…" Mushi waved from her desk, grinning. "…so we can get right to it." She looked at Harvey one last time. "You got anything else ya wanna tell us? Explain, or defend? Anything?"

Harvey struggled into the light, restrained by two guards and a straitjacket. He looked up at Abby and hissed. "If my_ sister_ was here, you'd really get it!"

"Yeah." Abby nodded. "But she ain't."

She gestured, and the guards took him away, his screams of rage echoing into the darkness of the room.

* * *

_"If-f-f daddy was here, you'd be sorry!" The boy screamed_

_"Yeah! But he's not!" Hoagie stuck out his tongue at his younger brother and dangled the toy airplane in front of him._

_"Moooom!" Howled the five-year-old as he groped at the toy. "Hoagie's being mean again!"_

_Mother came into the room, all frustration. "Will you two be quiet for one moment and let me get some supper together?" She fumed. "I've enough to do without separating you two every five seconds!"_

_Hoagie and Tommy shrank back._

_"Now behave!" She turned on her heel and walked back._

_Much subdued, Hoagie and Tommy returned to their game of airplanes and tanks. "Hey Hoagie." Tommy whispered. "Where's dad? Mommy's not happy"_

_Hoagie shrugged. "Off with his friends, I think. Mom said something about Bermuda." Hoagie arranged some of his planes. _

_"What…" Tommy's chubby face wrinkled in confusion. "What's Bermooda?"_

_Another shrug. "I dunno. Some kind of triangle, I guess." He looked to the kitchen. "I wonder what he does on these…"_

_The phone rang, and the two boys instantly fell silent. Their mother had made it plain that whenever she was on the phone, there must be no noise. They contented themselves with simply arranging the toys and making hushed "booms." In this manner they occupied themselves for some moments until they heard something very strange, a number of short, strangled sobs coming from the kitchen._

_Mother was crying._

_Greatly puzzled, Tommy looked up to Hoagie, but Hoagie did not move. He felt again something new, very new, but he was not sure he liked it this time._

* * *

"It was a windstorm." Hoagie tilted his head back and drained the milkshake in his hand. "Just appeared out of nowhere. A freak accident, they called it. No warning, no preparation, just…" he gestured. "…popped up and ripped the airplane apart."

"Huh." Abby shook her head, taking a slurp from her own milkshake. Her legs were propped up on her cluttered desk, and her hat slouched lazily over one eye. "Abby didn't know 'bout that."

"Nah, you wouldn't." Appearing unconcerned, Hoagie brushed some crumbs from his jacket. "It happened before Nigel got me signed up, so it's not in the records or anything."

"And ya ain't never talked about it before neither." It seemed Abby was tired, for she let head slump forward and rest on her hands. She stared across the desk at Hoagie. "Funny… Abby always figured you was the happy one."

Shrugging, Hoagie looked away. "It's not so bad. You'd be surprised. It's amazing how far a few memories will take you when they're all you have. Almost does the job for itself."

Abby said nothing, simply studying him with a calm, easy gaze.

"Anyway." Hoagie coughed and looked back. "Sorry for changing the subject like that. What were we talking about again?"

Abby blinked about for a minute, then recollected herself. "Oh yeah." She straightened up and picked up some papers. "Those decommissionin' chambers. They're all done? You sure?"

"Yeah." Some kind of frown was just evident on Hoagie's face. "Not well, and they're all plain and boring…"

"But they work? Jest fine and all?"

Hoagie nodded. "They'll work."

Abby seemed to relax. "Dat's good to hear." She allowed a little grin. "You done a good job, y'know? Been workin' on them things like crazy for the past month or so. Maybe you oughta take a break after this."

"Actually…" Hoagie rubbed the back of his neck, grinning shamefacedly.

Dropping her papers, Abby stared at him incredulously. "Ya haven't…"

"Well… kinda." Hoagie seemed to be wilting in his chair. "I mean… just a few small projects, around the Moonbase, little things that needed fixing…"

Abby let out a long sigh that told both of exasperation and admiration. Leaning back in her chair, she pressed a hand to her eyes and rubbed them. "Well," she finally said. "since ya already got started on dat, I supposed I might as well let ya overhaul the security system."

Hoagie looked puzzled. "We expecting an attack? Cause they seem to work fine. It automatically nabbed Numbuh 4 the other day when he tried to break into the…"

"It's fine." Abby nodded, but seemed slightly uneasy. "Ah jest thought we should do some upgrading before things switch around some."

"Switch around…?" Hoagie seemed puzzled, then suddenly understood, and his face fell. "Oh… right." He said nothing for a moment, and simply stared at the empty bottom of his cup. "That's coming up, isn't it."

It wasn't a question but Abby answered it anyway. "A'nother two weeks or so, I guess." She slurped her milkshake absentmindedly. "Just want to make sure things are easy for them. Can't imagine it'll be anyone who knows what they're doing."

Hoagie snorted. "Probably not."

The two fell silent, Hoagie staring at his empty cup, Abby at her desk. They seemed to be out of things to say.

Finally Hoagie sighed, looking up. "I think I know where Rachel disappeared to." His tone was suspiciously nonchalant. "Or, at least a guess."

Abby started and looked at him. "Ya do? Like where? Is it Father? Or Chad mebbbe? Or did she…"

"I don't think so." Hoagie shook his head. "I think she left voluntarily." He picked at a piece of hair on his jeans. "There's a spaceship I made custom to her design just before she vanished, and I can't find it anywhere."

"A ship…" A confused frown covered Abby's face. "Where would she…" The frown dissolved into a little smile. "Oooooh, that little… She wouldn't of…"

"She did." Hoagie grinned back. "Or at least I think so. The ship I made could have done it easily. Even had a cloaking device I made. And I imagine she had some way of finding out where the GKND was."

"She did." Abby nodded. "Numbuh 74.239 ran me through some different things about the GKND when I took over. She'd know how to track them." Sighing, she leaned back. "The leader's got tons of ways of contacting those guys."

"Hmm." Hoagie agreed. He thought silently for a moment. "Have you ever tried it?" He pointed to a small, nondescript button on her desk, hidden under a glass cover.

Relaxing, her face settled into a shamefaced grin. "Nah." She shook her head. "Never had the nerve."

"Ever want to?"

A sigh. "Yeah. Numbuh 5 wanted to. Lotsa times. Jest to check up on him, how he's doing, stuff like that."

"Why didn't you?" Hoagie probed, puzzled. "Numbuh 1 would be glad to hear from us, I'll bet."

"We ain't even supposed to know he's up there, 'member?" Abby let out a little chuckle. "That'd take some explaining. And I'm only supposed to contact 'em if it's an emergency, y'know?"

"That's true." A little disappointed, Hoagie nodded.

"He's probably got tons of ways of finding out what's goin' on down here anyways." Abby leaned back and stretched. "No need to tell him, really. And…" She paused in mid-stretch, apparently unsure of how to continue. "There's no point to it, y'know? He's in the past, and he ain't never comin' back, so why bother?" She shrugged. "Almost make it more painful then anythin' really. And we still have all the great memories of the stuff he did."

"Yeah." Hoagie nodded. He seemed strangely diminished. "At least we have those, for now."

Abby didn't seem to notice the import of his words, for she continued. "We need to move on, to get used to life widout him, ya know? Need ta… stop waiting for him ta come back. We need to…" She fumbled for words.

"Grow up?" Hoagie suggested.

"Yeah." Abby nodded, relieved. "Zactly. Just make our lives widout him."

"Kinda have, already." Hoagie pointed out. "If you've noticed, Numbuh 4's gotten a lot smarter since Numbuh 1 left, and Numbuh 3's not nearly as silly anymore. You've kinda…" Embarressed, he rubbed the back of his neck. "…I dunno, gotten more responsible, sociable and stuff."

"You've sobered up a good bit yourself." Abby grinned. "What're you so serious 'bout, anyway? Numbuh 5 don't 'member the last time you was like this."

"Eh…" A shrug. "It's like I said earlier. This whole things getting too serious. I mean…" He paused a moment, as if considering whether to continue. "…I mean, my own birthdays coming up about a month after yours." A light chuckle broke from him. "Gonna get all my memories sucked out and deleted, like they never happened."

Abby stared at him a moment, as she connected the dots in her head. "But dat don't include your dad, does it?"

"Eh…." Hoagie looked uncomfortable. "Shouldn't. It probably won't. In fact, I'm nearly sure it won't. I'm probably worrying about nothing." He heaved a sigh. "But anyway. The point is, I can't treat it like it's a game anymore."

Abby frowned in confusion. "When wuz it ever a game?"

* * *

_"Kids Next Door?" The chubby boy cocked his head quizzically. "But how can they be secret if they say they're right next door?"_

_"It's just a name, Hoagie." The other rolled his eyes. "They don't ACTUALLY live next door."_

_"Oh." Hoagie shrugged. "Say, what happened to your hair anyway?"_

_"Um… Nothing." Nigel quickly slapped the baseball cap back on his head. "But anyway, this girl said she'd try to get me in somehow, and…"_

_"Is she cute?"_

_"What?"_

_"The girl. Is she cute?"_

_"Would you… Hoagie, she's a GIRL! She's not cute! She's probably got COOTIES, for crying out loud!"_

_"Right." Another shrug. "What were you saying?"_

_"So this GIRL is going to try to get me in somehow, and I was thinking maybe… y'know, since we're best friends and all, maybe we could go in together." Nigel shrugged. "I don't know. But it's worth a try. And I think you'd like it. They have all sorts of cool gadgets."_

_Hoagie thought over this a moment. Gadgets…_

_"So? Whaddaya say?"_

_Hoagie scratched the back of his neck and studied his friend a moment. Nigel was kinda weird sometimes, and always seemed to get worked up about these goofy games the kids were always playing. But he WAS his best friend, and he usually had some really great ideas for what to play._

_It was a new sensation, but Hoagie had realized a while ago that these games weren't real. How could they be? Nothing ever happened, or at least, no one ever died. They couldn't be real._

_But in a way, that kinda appealed to Hoagie. So he grinned and nodded. "Yup."_

_He had no way of knowing the new world that was about to open up to him._

* * *

"You oughta get going, Hoagie." Abby stretched and yawned. "It's getting kinda late, and Numbuh 5 should close up shop."

"Yeah, probably a good idea" Hoagie pushed his chair back and stood, also stretching. "Tomorrow's probably going to…"

Hoagie stopped suddenly, his eye caught by a strange piece of paper on the table. It had no KND logo, but it seemed very familiar. He reached to pick it up.

Abby noticed his attention a second too late and just missed swiping it from him. She protested. "Numbuh 2, it ain't nothin' important, jest put it back…"

Curiosity aroused, Hoagie unfolded the paper. It read, in handwriting all too familiar to both him and Abby:

_I know you did it, you brat. It doesn't matter. You still won't get out of it. I don't need any of those idiots you caught to take you out. I'm coming to your birthday, girl; and I'll suck that whole brain out before you even know what's going on. You've got too much in that pretty head of yours to waste._

_See ya later, sis._

_-Cree._

* * *

**A/N: You have read. Now, to make it worthwhile, please REVIEW! You can tell me everything you hope and dream about this story, and I might put it in! Probably won't but hey, it's something.**

**Again, I suck at updating. You guys had just better figure that these will come every two weeks. The next one is kinda short, so I can maybe get it in under a week, but I'm not holding my breath. I was actually surprised this one got done so soon. I really liked it, but it was hard, because there was nothing on Hoagie's history to go off of. I pulled some ideas from other fanfics and looked up what I knew about Hoagie. Send me more info if you have it--I really don't know much.**

**Someone asked for more 3/4 stuff. Well, I tried to include what I could, but these first couple chapters are about Abby, because she's leaving so soon, and this is about Hoagie, cause he's next. ( I have no idea of the proper order.) We'll get to Wally and Kuki later.  
**

**Anyway. Next chapter: Abby steps down as leader, but events cause an unforeseen outcome, and a new leader of the Kids Next Door rises.**


	7. Preposterous

_The account of Numbuh 5's birthday is well-known enough. Indeed, the circumstances surrounding it, and the final conclusion, have attracted so much speculation that the event is almost legendary. Many facts of the final battle are unknown, though different conspiracy theorists and revisionary historians have offered different ideas.  
_

_It is not the purpose of this account to comment on the support, or lack thereof, of these different ideas. One idea may be put to rest. The exact event had no direct connection to the Reworking, and was not the work of any of the individuals involved in that event. It was quite simply the final chapter in a long story of three remarkable operatives. All that happened, happened between them and because of them. No outside forces intervened._

_Some may doubt the veracity or the probability of the facts that I present here. In my defense, I can only say that I knew all three very well, and can guess at the motives that governed each. I might also say that much of what is presented here is also supported by new data tapes that have recently come to light, partly by my work and partly by another's._

_So this is no idle or wild fantasy that I put down, this is, indeed, what happened. And it is important that we know it did, for it was the triumph of Numbuh 5's career, and the final great decision of Numbuh 2's._


	8. Perceptions

The room was dark, lit only by a pale red glow from the table the four shadows sat around. Finally the dark one on the end spoke, sunglasses glinting as he raised his head.

"We have not yet come to a decision. Is the girl to join us, or not?"

"I think it's pretty much an obvious one." Snorted another. Braces flashed in the light as he did, but their was little else in evidence, save a mass of curly hair. "She's a great operative, and she's completely with us! What's the problem?"

"There's not a problem." Said the tallest shadow. He sat at the head of the table, and the others fell silent when he spoke. "That is, there's not a problem, YET."

"Exactly." Nodded the last shadow. He, too, seemed to wear sunglasses, but his hair hung over his face and made it difficult to be sure. "There is many a slip between cup and lip."

"What?" Asked the curly one.

"He means," clarified the dark shadow. "that it is difficult to be sure of her loyalties until she has completed them."

"She would not be the first operative to have a blameless, even exemplary record up to the moment of her decommissioning, and still turn when it came down to it." Pointed out the tall one. "We cannot be sure of her loyalties until that has occurred."

There was a momentary silence, and then the curly one spoke.

"But if we're considering her, I mean, couldn't we just… tell her ahead of time? Then she certainly wouldn't turn, and we'd get a new operative! With 9 leaving, and 274 gone on that…" He coughed. "…embarrassing business; we're shorthanded."

"Untested faith is no faith at all." Mused the pale one. "And a liar who is trusted is more dangerous than any other."

"In short," finished the towering shadow, "We cannot make any decision until Numbuh 5 does. She must take the final step."

* * *

"…Numbuh 5 was also among those who shot the moonbase at the earth, defeating Grandfather. But this was not the end of her career! Much later, she saved the sectors of central America, putting an end to the insidious plot of the nefarious Heinrich in a confidental operation…"

Kuki started to giggle. Wally frowned down at the table.

"They ain't doing Numbuh 5 any favors here." Abby groaned, massaging her eyes. "Whose idea was it to have a slideshow, anyway?"

"The different sectors demanded it." Hoagie shrugged. "Like it or not, you're a celebrity."

"Whatever."

They turned back to watch the screen behind them, doing their best to ignore the arena of operatives surrounding them, much as they had for Maurice. Abby would have skipped the whole thing, but it gave the younger operatives an example to follow.

"…and in the most massive operation ever attempted, broke the Teenz and eliminated much of their leadership…"

"How much longer does this go?" Kuki whined. "I haveta use the bathroom!"

"It better not be for much longer." Wally growled. "I can't sit here all day."

Abby motioned to Hoagie, who leaned closer to catch her whisper. "We all set?"

Hoagie grinned and winked. "Everything's in order." He whispered back. "Don't worry. Cree won't be able to do a thing."

It was simply bad timing that he said this right before the explosion rocked the moonbase.

* * *

_"Wait, so Cree DID attempt an attack? But she never… I mean, we didn't…"_

_"Jeez, Numbuh 1, you think she wuz THAT thick? She saw you there, an' she knew what you were after. 'Sides, you know them Teenz stuff ain't that obvious."_

_"But the Battle-Ready Armor…"_

_"Ohhhhh. No. Don't go there. Please. Jest… Jest promise me you won't do somethin' like that again. Okay? Just let Abby deal with her sis by herself."_

_"Out of the question. We will never run from enemies! In the meantime, though, I must give this information to moonbase immediately! They will want to know all about it!"_

_"Ummm… Numbuh 1? Don't mention that Battle-ready stuff to them either. They… uh… they already know. Yeah."_

_"Very well!" _

_slam_

_" Finally. Numbuh 5 didn't think he'd ever leave."_

_"Ummm… Numbuh 5? How come you're so happy today, anyway? I mean, don't you usually… you know, get mad whenever we fight Cree?"_

_"Ah, Abby feels okay about it dis time, Numbuh 2." chuckle "Cree is soooo gonna catch it when Father finds out that stuff is fake."_

_chuckle "Yeah, you're probably… wait… Are you saying…?"_

_"Abby beat Cree at her own game, baby! You any idea how GOOD dat feels? Mmmm! Abby's always wanted to say she whuppped her sister's butt. 'Bout time she got down to it. Cree ain't gonna forget dis for a while now."_

_"Uh… yeah." nervous laugh "Great. What is it with you two, anyway? I mean, sure, she's a teenager and all, but you guys take it…" pause " Ooooh, wait, I think I know."_

_"Oh, don't you start… Don't you dare!"_

_"You're jealous! Aaaabby's jealous! Her and you and Numbuh 9… Hahaha…"_

_"What you still sitting around here for, anyway, Numbuh 2? Ain't you gonna go off and analyze whatcha saw of that armor?" _

_silence _

"_Oh, Jeez… don't look so pale like that, Numbuh 2…"_

_"Uh…. No. No, that's fine. Besides, you said moonbase already knows about it, so there's no real need to… uh…"_

_"Yeah, yeah, Abby gets ya. What're you and Nigel doin' at Abby's house anyway?"_

_"Uh… well, Nigel figured that if you were sick, it must be some evil adult plot to poison you and take you away…"_

_"Figures. Kid gives a new meaning to paranoia."_

_"And I… uh… well, I figured he might need some help on it, and I'd heard Cree had gotten really… uh…" _

_"Oh no. Please tell me you didn't go there jest to check on Cree."_

_silence_

_"Aw, man…" _

* * *

"This way!" Wally shouted, running. "We have a route prepared!"

Abby followed, shouting orders. "You! Hoagie, Kuki, W2-40! With me, fast!"

KRABOOM! Another explosion rocked the base and Abby staggered slightly before Wally could right her. The whole command team dashed down the tunnel. In the distance, they could hear the cries of the other operatives as they evacuated the main chamber. Some were running to suppress the explosion, some to assess damage, and some simply to escape anyway they could.

"Where wuz that last one?" Abby shot a question over her shoulder at W2-40.

"Decommissioning chamber 5, sir! The reactor must've been hit too, the power source is steadily dropping, we can't…"

"Engage the backup generators! Immediately! An' get some reinforcements by them other chambers!" She shot a glance over at Hoagie. "She's trying to get rid of the lot of them. We need to get to there fast. Which one…"

"Chamber 1." Hoagie supplied.

"Right then." Abby nodded at the others. "Need to make our way there, and set up some defensive measures to hold her off."

"I got security forces on call. They'll meet us there." Still running, Wally flashed a grin. "I thought we might need help."

"Good den. We'll hold her off, the regular techs will come in wid Numbuh 5. Where's Numbuh 3? I need her to git them other guys down here. Numbuh 3?"

"Right behind you, silly!" Came a voice in her ear. "Where are we going to now?"

"You going to the central control for communications." Said Abby, evenly and clearly. "Rest of us to Chamber 1. You gotten in touch with that sis of yours yet?"

Kuki bent over her handheld device. "Nope! I can't find her anywhere! She must be hiding!" She giggled.

"Good!" Kuki glanced at her, confused, but Abby didn't notice. Distantly, it occurred to her that this had to be the first time an operative had _run_ to her decommissioning.

* * *

_"Heya there, you okay? You been staring after that ship for an good half-hour."_

_"Oh yeah… I'm fine, I'm fine. Just thinking."_

_"You better wipe that smile off your face, boy. Gets Abby all creeped out."_

_"Oh. Right. "_

_"You still smiling." sigh "What is it anyway? Got anything to do wid Cree saying you was her boyfriend?"_

_"Huh? Oh, no. Nothing at all. Don't worry about that."_

_"You REALLY smiling now."_

_"Uh… I'll stop smiling. Honest."_

_"Sure you will. What happened anyway? I get dat you made some kinda machine that changed you into a teenager. That made enough sense. But what… Numbuh 5 means, what happened after that?"_

_"Oh, nothing much. I just… uh… I went out to eat at a restaurant and… uh… I bumped into Cree! Yeah…"_

_silence_

_"You ain't gonna tell Abby anything about what you and Cree did, is you?"_

_"Well… we just sat and talked, really. Why's it so important to you?"_

_"It ain't."_

_"Oooh-kay. Um… You want to hear more?"_

_"No."_

_"You sure?"_

_"Abby's sure."_

_shrug "All right."_

_"All right den."_

_silence_

_"Ummm… About what you said when they were taking Cree away…"_

_"Dat don't mean anything. Jest forgit about it, 'kay?"_

_"Okay."_

* * *

"Okay."

The guard looked up and down the hallway, then nodded to the others. The soldiers ran forward and set up a perimeter, Abby and her friends following.

"You sure this is the only entrance?" Abby asked Numbuh 2. Explosions were tearing away at the base, rocking the very floor. It sounded as if Cree was fighting to the last.

"Positive." Hoagie smirked. Apparently he felt proud of this area. "The entire sector is completely isolated from the rest of the base. There aren't even any ventilator shafts."

Abby wrinkled her nose. "That explains why this place alwus smells so bad." She shook it off. "Okay, she ain't here yet, but it ain't gonna take much longer before she is. Numbuh 4, back up your men and put them in dat barricade/ambush thing ya got."

"All r-i-ght!" Wally pumped his arm, grinning. "She won't get through us easy, Sir." Quickly he gestured to his men, setting them up on the sides, the walls, across the floor.

"Dat's good." Abby gave a short nod. "Numbuh 2, get into one of dem computer thingies you got hidden all over the place and get busy." She touched a finger to her head. "Numbuh 3? You there, girl?"

"Oh yeah! Right here! Hey, do you know we can get Rainbow Monkey on this thing?"

"Focus girl!" Abby frowned. "Get all the ships, and circle the moonbase! We can't let her get out."

"Okey-dokey!"

Abby clicked the communicator off and nodded, satisfied. "Allright. Everythin' else taken care of, then." She glanced around. "Time to get to the main event den." She made for the vault at the end of the hallway.

"Hey!" Wally called after her. "How're you gonna work that cruddy decommissionin' thingie anyway? None of them technician people are here!"

With a last turn, Abby offered a grin to her friends. "Don't need much. Jest unlock them things, and then git someone to pull the switch." She looked Hoagie in the eyes, and he nodded. "That's all it takes."

The others stood in silence a moment. Then Wally heaved a sigh. "Guess we better get to work."

He strode forward and gripped Abby's hand. Hoagie followed, awkwardly offering his hand, but Abby gripped him by the shoulders and pulled him into a fierce hug before pushing him away again. Over the intercom, Abby could hear Kuki giving out bubbly goodbyes.

They stood, quietly, remembering. Finally, Abby drew a deep breath. "Okay." She said. "Let's do this."

* * *

_"Hey Numbuh 5. Hey, um… hi… Cree."_

_"Hey."_

_groan_

_"Ummm… so how're you doing, Cree?"_

_"Ugh!" groan "Can't I suffer in peace? Abby, tell Mom I'm in my bedroom."_

_slam_

_"Hmph. Well, dat takes care of dat. What're you doin' here, Numbuh 2?"_

_"You're sick. Numbuh 1 thought it might be some kind of adult trick."_

_"What! But you guys picked Numbuh 5 up from that island, and I… Aw, fergit it. Dat Numbuh 1…"_

_"Heh. Paranoia redefined. How's the chicken pox?"_

_"How's the chicken pox? Doggone awful! Abby's body is screaming all over! Feels like fire, and her fingers got a mind of their own! All she can do to keep them on this here magazine!"  
_

_"Aw man. That's too bad."_

_"You bet it is! Still... at least Abby knows Cree's got the same problem." snicker "Anyway. Don't ask about it, only makes it worse. Can we talk about somethin' else?"_

_"Oh right. Ummmm… So where'd these flowers come from?"_

_"Them? Maurice dropped them off when he came."_

_"HE came here? Oh…"pause "Well that… that was nice. Brought you flowers, huh?"_

_"Well, them flowers was s'posed to be for Cree."_

_"Oh, right."_

_silence_

"_Umm… Numbuh 5? What's with you? You're acting like you got something ITCHING at your mind. Hah! Get it? Cause…"_

_slap_

"_OW! C'mon, that wasn't so bad! Why do you always use the hat, anyway?"_

"_Got a nice heft to it. Never mind about Abby. She's got other things ta think about, okay?"_

"_Is it cause you beat your sister again?"_

"_Huh? Oh, nah, this one came out pretty even."_

"_Oh. Well, did Maurice take these flowers to you then?"_

"_Maurice has nothing… Jeez, would you stop obsessing about the flowers already? You'd think my sister was on auction or something."_

"_Sorry, I just…"_

"_Speaking of which, what's with this thing you got for my sister anyway? Every time you see her, its like you go into ga-ga land, or wherever your mind goes."_

"_Well… c'mon, she's a girl!"_

"_Yeahhhhhh… And so is Numbuh 5, and Kuki, and Numbuh 86, and Numbuh 362. But you don't all go crazy when you see them."_

"_Well… yeah. But they're just… I mean… they're just little girls. Not… you know…"_

"_Uh-huh. And you sure as heck AIN'T little. Not to mention my sister is almost twice your age, boy. Look, you ain't making any more sense with this."_

"_Well, I just… I don't… I don't know! Your sister is… well, uh… I've been on a date with her! And… um…"_

"_Correction. You was on a date with her AS A TEENAGER. (Which is still creeping Abby out, by the way.) But you keep at it. Why you going after her like dat?"_

"_Well, she… she… I don't know. She looks like one of those girls from the movies! Like the one where the one guy goes into that one place and saves the world. The one with that one girl."_

"_Jeez, that narrows it down a lot." snort "And what… you've always wanted to be the hero?"_

"_Well… kinda." pause "I mean, I guess, she's the villain, but you know…"_

"_No. Abby don't. And she don't think she gonna understand it anytime soon."_

"_Well, it just…"_

"_Hoagie? Shut up."_

"…"

* * *

"Hoagie! Abby spoke into the communicator. "The power's down! How does Numbuh 5 get dat generator working like you was talking about?"

"Get over to the side control panel!" Came the voice through the earpiece. "There'll be a button pad. Password "Yipper"

Abby paused, finger in mid-air. "You nerds are so predictable, y'know?"

"Ah… heh.."

"Numbuh 5!" A new voice broke into the conversation. "Numbuh 5! The attacks are veering off toward the control room!"

"Good." Abby kept punching buttons. "Gives us more time."

"But that's where Numbuh 3 is!" Wally's voice screamed. "She's at the communication hub! We can't just cruddy leave her!"

Abby paused a moment and considered. Then she shook her head. "The control rooms got its own guards, Numbuh 4. And Cree ain't interested in Numbuh 3. She ain't gonna do nothing to her."

"But she's in danger!"

"Numbuh 4, we gotta finish here! If we don't get this, we're all sunk!"

"Look, we ain't gonna sacrifice Numbuh 3 just cause of you and your sister! I'm going back in there! We gotta get her out!"

Abby 5 grabbed her headset. "Numbuh 4, you stay right dere! You hear me? Stay right where you is! Dat's an order!"

Silence.

With a sigh of frustration, Abby dropped her hand. "Dang fool… Hoagie, we gonna have to speed this up."

"Sure." Came the voice. "Okay, you might want to open one of those tube things, just to get ready. Is the power back on, by the way?"

"Yeah, it's on." Abby flicked a switch. "Now what?"

"Now get to the computer at the back of the central column." Hoagie instructed her. "That controls the general settings for the chamber."

Abby ran over. Between the tubes was a large control panel. "Abby's there."

"First, grab that dial in the middle. Turn it two clicks past the 'MAX' setting."

"Hoagie, you crazy, you know dat?"

"Uh, yeah you've told me." There was a little chuckle. "Okay. Now, check the keypad in the middle and type in…"

"Lemme guess. 'Yipper?'" Abby's hand reached for the buttons.

"Nope. Type in 'Kaled'"

"'Kaled'?" Abby punched the buttons. "What the heck's a Kaled?"

"It's something on Dr Time and the Space Continuum. They're like these trash cans that…"

"Look, tell me later, huh? Now what?"

"You're all set." Hoagie assured her. "Now I just wait until you're ready, and I send the signal."

"Good." Abby slammed the cover over the panel and moved around to the front. "Any movement out there?"

"None whatsoever, aside from the confusion by the control room." Hoagie responded cheerfully. "The hallways are clear. The guards haven't even reported anything."

"Good." Abby came around the column, heading for the open tube. "Let's get this…"

She stopped suddenly. There, standing just in the vault doorway, was Kuki.

"Numbuh 3?" Abby took a hesitant step forward. "You supposed to be at the control room."

Kuki smiled, a cold, half-cocked smirk. "I know, silly."

Fire leapt from Kuki's hand, smashing into the wires above the central column. Abby jumped back as electricity leapt from them and cords sizzled out of life. Bewildered, she turned to face her friend.

Kuki's face split down the middle. "Too bad 'Numbuh Three' is stuffed in a closet by the main hall." The two halves broke into tiny strips, folding back. "Too bad her boyfriend left to go save her." Cree's grinning visage leered down at her as her armor shifted to Battle mode. "Too bad _your_ boyfriend's in that computer place of his, and just lost his only connection to this room. Just the two of us, Crabigail."

* * *

"_Greaaaeat job on setting up the sprinkler system, Numbuh 2."_

"_Hey! I hooked up that fine. Nigel never mentioned he wanted an abort button! Anyway, your whole thing with following Maurice and Cree wasn't exactly a success."_

"_Turned out jest fine. They just wasn't really doing anything. Or, at least, nothin' dangerous…"_

"_Oh yeah? Then why'd you go out and fight her? Was Numbuh 5 getting jealllous again? You know, for someone who's always bugging me about her sister…"_

"_This AIN'T like that."_

"_Says you. Are you two still fighting on that, by the way? Cause I think your sis pretty much won that one."_

"_Ha. You don't know the first thing about that whole stuff."_

"_Oh, c'mon! I do too! I watch movies about this stuff! I mean, I nearly had those other two girls eating out of my hand!"_

"_No, you didn't. You wasn't even close."_

"_I did too! You just dragged me off before I could get anywhere!" pause "What'd you do that for, anyway?"_

"_That ain't what we were there for."_

_snort "No, we were there to follow sisters and their boyfriends because we fight with them all the time. That whole thing still seems pretty crazy to me, by the way…"_

"_Aw, shut up. You just don't get it."_

"_No, I don't."_

_silence_

_sigh "Okay, look here, Abby'll do her best. You ain't really right, it's not… well, it's not REALLY about Numbuh… about Maurice."_

"_Sure."_

"_Be quiet and listen, 'kay? I guess… maybe it's just… well, Numbuh 5 always wanted to be the best, y'know?"_

"_Yeah." _

" '_Course, that'd mean she'd have to beat her. But Numbuh 5 didn't really think it that far." pause "Then, a'course, when sis left the KND, it really got Numbuh 5 riled, and she wanted to take out her sister for doin' that."_

"_Oh right. That first battle with her…"_

"_Yeah, Abby lost it, Numbuh 5 knows."_

"_Hey! I wasn't gonna…"_

"_It's a fact, 'kay? And that's part of the rest. Abby lost the first one, so just to show everybody, she's gotta beat her. Beat her good. Someday, she's gonna kick her butt, completely, if it's the last thing Abby does."_

"_Oh c'mon! You've beaten her like eleventy billion times! You really need to prove that?"_

_pause_

"_Heh. You okay sometimes, you know dat, Hoagie?"_

* * *

Abby leapt for the tube, but it was blasted apart before she could hope to reach it. She fell into a roll and leapt to her feet, pulling her blaster from her sock. "Hey Cree. Wuz expecting you."

"Apparently not enough."

"Them explosions… you set charges?"

"Partly." Cree's grin flashed in the light of her arm cannon. "I've got some friends with me too. I bet they're keeping Numbuh 4 occupied now."

Abby backflipped to avoid a series of blasts, firing between her legs. "So you's sent that message, to get Numbuh 4 outta here." She dropped behind a tube.

"Yes." Cree jumped after her sister, gun blazing. "He's awfully predictable."

"Don't take no brains to see that." Abby commented drily. She cocked her mustard pistol again and dashed off to the left. "So. You come all the way up here, break into all kinds of security, take practically the last reserves of the Teenz ya got, all jest to get Numbuh 5?" She popped off a few more shots and hid behind a pillar. "If Abby weren't so confused, she'd be kinda flattered."

"Don't be." Cree sneered. "You any idea how much stuff is inside your brain right now? Father'd love to get ahold of it."

"Oh. So you workin' for him now." Abby whirled around the corner and shot. "Makes sense, you got nobody else to help you wid your stuff."

"Should at least be a start to taking down you Kids Next Door. Might make up for you breaking up the Teenz." Cree gracefully somersaulted through the onslaught, and blasted the pillar to pieces. "This was between you and me, Abby. Not the Teenz. You shouldn't have brought it to them!"

Abby fired a salvo, watching Cree dodge them. "Might not've, if I hadn't got them notes." Crouching, she ran to a pile of tanks in the corner. "Then it wuzs just a precaution. You're the one who made it personal."

"It's always been personal, Abby." Cree snarled, putting a bit more energy into her shots. "You and me, it's always been personal. And it should have stayed like that!" Blasts rained down against the tanks.

"That explains the friends ya brought wid ya. And the friends you guys used for that TREATY caper." Abby winced as some of the shots struck home. "You ain't above usin' some help yerself." She picked up a spare tank and hurled it at the flying teenager. "This ain't never been a duel of honor, sis. Heck, you're a ninja."

"Whatever gets the job done." Cree hissed and ducked back behind the central column. "Okay, so it wasn't all against you. But that's my affair. I've got my own bone to pick against the KND, remember?"

"And Abby's got her own stake in the KND." Abby took advantage of her sister's move to whirl out and lay down a blistering stream of shots. "Comes with being the leader and all. So we back to being army against army, huh?"

* * *

_"Yo."_

_"Hmmm? Oh, hi."_

_"Abby thought she might find you up here. She hasn't seen you much since the race. You still mopin' around about that?"_

_"Eh… Sorta."_

_"Good grief, kid, it was just a race. No reason to get all messed up about losin'."_

_"Oh, no, not that." sigh "I mean, sure, that was a bummer, but there's always next year, y'know?"_

_silence_

_"You a hopeless optimist, you know dat?"_

_"Huh?"_

_"Never mind. What's buggin' ya?"_

_sigh "My mom just told me that Dad never won any races either."_

_"Sooooo? You in good company, den."_

_"Well, it's just… I dunno, I'd always remembered that story about Dad. It was sorta… weird to find out he made it up."_

_"Dude, anybody could have told you that story was made up."_

_"Really? It made sense to me."_

_"And you supposed to be the smart one. Look, believin' in a thing don't always make it happen. You oughta know that from flying. You need engines, not just Fartfig-tubing or what."_

_"I guess so…"_

_"Man, you looking even worse. What on earth is up? Abby ain't never seen you like this before. Usually you the one cheering up everyone else."_

_"Well… I just… I loved that story. It always seemed really neat. And I loved the way Dad told it. I could always remember the way he would lean over his chair and talk to me and Tommy about when he was a kid. It really… I just never forgot it."_

_"Huh."_

_"It really seemed like it worked, too. I mean, I just about did win… Well anyway… it was a really cool story. But now… I guess he must have made it up."_

_silence_

_"You almost won?"_

_"Hmmm? Oh yeah. I mean, everybody else was… y'know."_

_"Yeah."_

_"So it wasn't much. But it was kinda cool, just to be that close, even if I did haveta go back for you guys." pause "And fighting Father all by myself was neat too. I mean, how often do I get to face Father all solo? That's what Numbuh 1 does!"_

_"uh… uh yeah. Yeah… that was neat."_

_"I'm still wondering how Betsy took the blast like that. Dad must've built in…"_

_"Numbuh 2, no offense, but just what are you talkin' about?"_

_pause_

_"Ummm… My battle with Father? You know, when all you guys were stuck, and I came and rescued all you? And he threw some fireballs at me, and Betsy blocked them? Remember?"_

_"Uhhh…" long pause " Okay. Yeah, now that you mention it, Abby guesses she does remember something like that. It's kinda hazy. Father must've had us… drugged... or something."_

"_Yeah, probably._"

"_Boy, now that she thinks about it, dat was pretty cool. You no idea about how that worked?"_

_"No! No idea at all! Dad must've put something in there that did that. But why he would mess around with stuff like…"_

_loooong silence  
_

_"You don't think…"_

_"Mebbe…"_

_"But Mom didn't say anything about the Kids Next Door! She's never…"_

_"She wouldn't remember, right?"_

_"Oh. Right." pause "Hey, that would mean Dad wouldn't remember either."_

_"Yeah. Kinda weird, huh? Any adult we know coulda been part of the KND sometime, they just wouldn't remember it."_

_"Yeah…"_

_another pause_

_"Hey Numbuh 5?"_

_"Yeah?"_

_"Do you think we lose all our memories when we get… y'know? Like, do we just lose everything in the Kids Next Door, or do we forget everything before then? Cause if it's all the other stuff…"_

_"Well, we got decommissioned once already, 'member? And you still remembered Tommy was your little brother, and all that stuff, didn'tcha?"_

_"Yeah…"_

_"The way Abby understands it, it just gets rid of all the stuff in KND, so nobody gets to know about it. You don't gotta worry about the other stuff. They ain't interested in that."_

_"Probably… Yeah, you're probably right."_

_"You nervous?"_

_"No! Not at all! No… I…" _

_silence_

_ "Well... Kinda." _

"_Aw, don't worry too much. Decommissionin' ain't coming on for a while yet. And there ain't really nothing to worry about. It probably won't be so bad."_

_"I guess not… But when it comes down to it…"_

_"Jeez, give it a rest."_

_"…it's just hard, thinking about when it comes, if…"_

"_Hoagie, stop it already."_

"_I mean, things go wrong all the time with machines…"_

"_Ummm…"_

"_And it might not seem so scary now, but when it finally comes…"_

"_Hey! Hoagie! Hold up a minute!" _

"_Huh? What?"_

"_Uh… Hoagie, you know… um… if your mum was decommissioned, she might not remember the… uh… the races your daddy did win."_

_yet another pause _

"_Yeah! You're right! She wouldn't!"_

_"So… mebbe your dad wuz tellin' the truth after all."_

_"Oh, he was. Of course he was! Ha! Tubethon 2009, here I come!!"_

_silence_

_"You really IS one hopeless optimist."_

_"Huh?"_

* * *

"Enough!" Cree tore a piece of the wall off and hurled it. Abby went flying in one direction, her gun in another. She struggled to her feet as Cree landed in front of her. "I didn't come here to talk about our little rivalry." Her gun disappeared. "I came to ask you a question."

The mask unfolded from her sister's face. The armor deactivated. Abby and Cree faced each other, one upon the floor, the other towering above.

Cree drew a breath. "I once told you." She said. "That you would understand me when you came to your own decommissioning." She looked her sister hard in the face. "Do you?"

Gazing right back at her, Abby nodded.

"And…" Cree took a step forward eagerly. "Would you get out of it, if you could?"

Some hesitation, and Abby nodded again.

A look of wonder, almost relief, spread over Cree's face. "Oh, Abby… we can go! You don't know how…"

"No."

Cree stopped. "What? But Abby…"

"Abby understands ya plenty better." A sigh came from the girl on the floor. "It makes a lot more sense. The friends, the battles, the losses, the little triumphs… Abby understands, now that she comes to it, jest what losing all that means. She keeps talking about what she's gonna do to this place tomorrow, and then she 'members, there is no tomorrow." Abby looked at the floor mournfully. "It ends for Abby. All. Today it all ends. No more excitement, no respect, not even…" she shook her head. "Not even the memories of them." She looked up. "Oh, Abby understands ya a lot better, Cree. And if she could get outta this somehow, she would."

Cree said nothing. She just stared down at her sister.

"But…" Abby shook her head. "Abby's an operative. A leader. She's gotta go through with it, set an example. For the team, for her friends, for everybody in this place."

"Oh c'mon!" Cree nearly cried with frustration. "You said you want to! You practically joined the Teenz when Maurice did!"

"Yeah!" Abby stood to her feet. "And that's why I gotta do this now, so I can't! No matter how much I'd like to keep my memories, I know I shouldn't. I know what I haveta do." She looked her sister in the eye. "Dat's the whole point of rules. To tell ya what you should do, not whatcha want to do. And Abby plays by the rules."

"Rules!" Cree spat. "You twerps just play! Forget the rules! Heck, if there's one thing the KND is about, it's about flaunting the rules! Why should you obey theirs?"

"The Kids Next Door ain't about revolt." Abby swallowed the lump in her throat. "Mebbe about disruption, but not revolt. We only go against rules when they just plain pointless and mean."

"And what's this?" Cree screamed, indicating the chamber. "What point is to all this, if not indulging some sick and twisted girl's sense of power?"

"It's about movin' on, Cree." Abby's eyes glared up from under her hat. "About movin' on after the Kids Next Door, so ya _can_ have a normal life, not just pretend. It's about moving past the game, into the world." She took a deep breath. "It's about starting over. No grudges, no feuds..."

"No fears." Spoke a voice from behind her. The two girls whirled around, and there, just inside the chamber lock, stood Hoagie, a sheepish grin on his face. His right hand rested on a large red switch, just beside the door.

"Hoagie…?" The sisters spoke as one.

"Sorry, Cree." Hoagie made a helpless gesture. "But she's right."

"What are you…" Cree's eyes narrowed.

Abby knew too well what he was doing. Her eyes sought out his. "But… but you… you told Abby…" She swallowed. "You was always talking about how you was scared of this thing!"

"I was." Hoagie offered a nervous smile. "I guess I just… grew up."

And he threw the switch.

A blinding light erupted from the central column, flooding the entire chamber, consuming the three of them. Abby saw the huge grin on Hoagie's face, the incredible look of rage on her sister's.

And then everything went blank.

* * *

_"So you've been getting these things for about a month, and you haven't warned the KND, security, or even the rest of us about it, because it's between you and her."_

_"It is. And if you know better you won't mess with it."_

_"Okay, okay, I get it. I won't tell the others. But at least tell me what you HAVE done."_

_"Well, Abby was thinking…"_

_pause_

_"Actually, Abby ain't sure WHAT she was thinking. She still ain't figgered out yet what she gonna do. The main idea she had was somehow doin' her decommissionin' widout anybody else there, but that could hardly work."_

_"Not really. I don't think they actually let anyone do that."_

_"So… I dunno. I really don't."_

_silence_

_silence_

_"Ummm… y'know…"_

_"What, Hoagie?"_

_"You know how you told me not to put anything new on the new decommissioning chambers?"_

_"Hoagie, you didn't…"_

_"It's not much! It's not even new! Well… okay, it is kinda new. It's like a wave decommissioning thing. Fills the whole room, and decommissions everyone inside. Comes out of the center column. It was just an idea I got from looking at the old recommissioning module, trying to see how it worked without… Look, it was just a project. I didn't plan to do anything with it!"_

_"Hoagie… Abby swears, one of these days, yer gonna drive her straight outta her mind." _

_pause_

"_So it fills the whole room, huh?"_

_"Yeah. There's a combination to set it up, and then it just acts on the same command as the normal decommissioning tube—manual or remote."_

_"Whatever. So what yer sayin' is, if Abby and someone else were in dis room thingie…"_

_"I could remotely activate it, and it would get you and your sister both. You wouldn't remember anything about the KND. She wouldn't even remember betraying it."_

_silence_

_"You sure?"_

_"Oh yeah. I tested it on some teenagers last week, when we were taking care of all the prisoners."_

_silence_

_"Okay."_

* * *

Wally was never sure of the exact details. He could remember fighting and capturing the teenagers in the control center, could remember the odd photograph he found, of a closet in the main hall, could remember taking a bound and gagged Kuki out of that closet…

He could even remember the report of the security detail upstairs, when they said they'd gotten to the chambers. He remembered them saying they'd found Cree and Abby, passed out and apparently decommissioned, and also Hoagie…

And that's where Wally's memory failed him. His mind was lost in bewilderment, wondering how Hoagie came to be there, what had happened, whether it was all one bad dream…

But it was no dream, he knew. Hoagie, Abby, and Cree had all been decommissioned, and now only Wally and Kuki were left from the original sector.Hoagie had not been due for another week or so. It shocked Wally badly, and for some time he could think of nothing else. Kuki was crying.

Neither could give much thought to the bustle about them, nor the investigation, nor the game of IT that began. Even the winner of the game\ failed to capture their attention.

That was a pity, for King Sandy was an old acquaintance of theirs.

* * *

**A/N: REVIEW! Reviews are food for the soul and fuel for the fire of inspiration! Let me know what you think and hope! And especially tell me if there's something you thought could have been done better, because than I can do it!  
**

**If I update this thing any slower, It's going to be moving backwards in time. Actually, this was done on Monday, but I ran through it a couple times, because it really stunk. This is much better. (I hope) It was important to get it done right, because this is essentially the end of Abby and Hoagie in the story, and now we move to Wally and Kuki, who I am much less familiar with, and much less comfortable writing for. Ah well. I shall persevere. But if anyone knows any points of their history that are important, let me know.**

**I should mention, I have one major disapointment with this chapter. The conversations, when they say "pause" or "Silence" were supposed to have asterisks around them. It looked cool on my computer, so naturally it does not work online. I hope you were still able to understand them.**


	9. Premonitions

_Most kids these days are familiar with Sandy's administration, I guess. It was a big time of transition, and was full of important events, though goodness knows Sandy had nothing to do with THAT. Most Archives don't even record it as a real administration, just as 'the Prologue', which is actually pretty accurate. Sandy was maybe the last Supreme Leader of the Seventh Age, but he was certainly not the greatest. That's why most accounts don't even name him, just call him, 'the Usurper.'_

_I don't really know what it was like for Wally and Kuki, having to work under that idiot and having to deal with all the problems. I didn't know them very well then, and all I can really judge from is from what I DO know, and what they're like now. I've gotten some outside help on these accounts—some of it is even verbatim—but I can't really imagine what it was like, to be the last of the old guard, watching the new take over._

_One thing I do know, and most others, of course, is how it affected Wally. But the results of that weren't seen for some time, and even he didn't know all of what was going on. And he certainly didn't plan how things eventually came out._

_That was the other remarkable thing about the Reworking. Nobody really planned it. It just happened. Now, we can see how everything worked together, but to be in the middle of it, you wouldn't have been able to guess that the Kids Next Door was about to change so completely. _


	10. Puzzle

"…and now we move into a new era of change and prosperity!"

"See what I mean?" Wally snorted. "Sandy's saying just a bunch of nothing! I mean, 'change' could mean any kind of cruddy thing!"

"Uh-huh." Kuki stared down at the stage, not paying much attention to her irritated benchmate. Wally had always had a grudge against Sandy for some reason. Everyone else in the auditorium seemed to be enjoying the speech. Around on all sides they crowded the benches, watching the tiny seven-year old on the stand.

"The Kids Next Door cries out for a new leader!"

"Oh hey." Wally whispered, leaning in. "Did you hear about Maurice? He was decommissioned the other day."

Kuki giggled. Wally's breath was tickling her ear. "What for?"

"Apparently he asked for it." Wally shrugged. "Something about his mission being done."

"The mission of the Kids Next Door has changed! We must rethink our goals, our strategies, and our standards!" Cried Sandy. He had worn his best purple tower and his highest bucket helmet, and he looked splendid on the stand. Beside him stood his three cousins, in gleaming armor, and just behind him was Mushi, staring idiotically up at the sky. Technically Kuki and Wally should have been down there too, next to Numbuh 74.239 and Numbuh 5-star and the others, but Kuki had overslept, and Wally had waited for her, and by that time the speech had already started.

"We've had weak rulers! Ineffective rulers! Even corrupt ones! And it's time to change that!" Sandy waved dramatically. "It is time to depart from the poor examples of last year's leader, and move on toward the new!"

Kuki heard Wally's grumbling through the cheering of the crowd. "So what's he saying? That Numbuh 5 was some kinda cruddy nut job?"

"Wallllly…" Kuki hissed, leaning forward. "I can't hear!"

"I wouldn't mind having more of that kinda stuff!" Wally insisted. "In fact, I wouldn't mind if Numbuh 5 hadn't left at all!"

"Wally…"

"Change is needed!" Again from the loudspeakers. "The Kid's Next Door must become a glorious kingdom, and its treehouses shining castles of fortitude!"

"Again with the 'change'." Wally snorted. "Does anyone here actually know this guy? What he used to do? What kinda stuff he's ever done? Whether he's ever actually led anything?"

"Wally, be quiet!" Kuki shot him an annoyed glance.

"Phooey!" Scornfully, Wally sat back and glared at the podium. "A cruddy six-year old. Barely out of the academy. Even_ I_ could do better than that piece of crud!"

"In short," Sandy folded his arms and stared about the stadium with an air of finality. "We're going to have some changes around here!"

* * *

"_Daddy?" Kuki called, without glancing from the screen. "I can't change the channel! I think the remote's broken!"_

_The noise from the kitchen did not stop, and Kuki got up with a sigh to change the channel by hand. She decided to turn it up, too. She could barely hear the show right now, with her father screaming about the cost of butter. "Rainbow Monkeys, Rainbow Monkeys; oh so very round…" _

_Kuki settled back happily on her beanbag and watched the little creatures bounce around the bright landscape. "Today we're going to learn about imagination! Do you know what imagination is, Boys and Girls? Imagination is…"_

_"You think we have MONEY just SITTING AROUND THE HOUSE?" The sound billowed like a wave. "We canNOT afford to buy WHOLE STICKS of butter, while there is still SOME in the butter DISH!" Some things clattered around. "LOOK! There MUST be AT LEAST two WHOLE smudges! IN…"_

_Kuki frowned and turned up the sound more._

_"…everything can be fun and exciting with imagination! You can make a whole new world to play, with imagin…"_

_"Oh quiet." Came another voice, small and controlled, but still very piercing. "That dish has germs on it. Now let me wash it."_

_"WHAT! But there is STILL…"_

_The volume went up a little more._

_"…aw GEE, HAPPY SUNSHINE RAINBOW MONKEY, but I don't KNOW if I can be THAT HAPPY! It's just such a CLOUDY DAY today!"_

_"Don't GIVE UP, DREARY RAINCLOUD RAINBOW MONKEY! Just use your IMAGINATION! When the SUN is far AWAY, IMAGINATION lights your DAY!"_

_"WHY… I think you're RIGHT, HAPPY SUNSHINE RAINBO…"_

_"DON'T… MORE WATER!" Words floated into Kuki's hearing, just snippets of the discussion still in the kitchen. "CANNOT AFFORD… SINK'S ONLY… THREE DAYS! GOOD FOR… ANOTHER WEEK!"_

_Kuki scotched forward and leaned close to the TV, bumping her nose against the screen._

_"EVERY DAY IS A HAPPY DAY WITH IMAGINATION!" The Bubbly monkey roared. "USE IMAGINATION TO BRIGHTEN YOUR DAY!"_

_Suddenly, Kuki noticed the noise had stopped. Her father walked into the room, humming cheerfully. "Watching TV?" He patted her on the head, amiably. "Good, good. Your mother going to the store to buy margarine. They have sale!" He hummed a little more before glancing at her. "Why is TV so loud?"_

_Kuki shrugged and turned it down. She wondered when it had gotten that loud.._

_"Your mother would not like you play TV so loud." Her father frowned. "You should not." He leaned back in the chair. "It very bad for ears."_

_Kuki nodded brightly, but did not budge from the television. Her two large eyes gazed at the world of pastel green hills, with two orange and green lovable monkeys bouncing among daisies._

* * *

"Helloooo! You have reached the Moonbase. Today's Rainbow Monkey is 'Bravehearted Rainbow Monkey' and I am Numbuh 3! Can I help you with anything?"

There was a strange sound like a groan, and then. "Nah. This is just Numbuh 4 calling to report to that cruddy idiot up there."

"Okey-dokey!" Numbuh 3 gleefully looked over the list of operatives, then frowned. She pressed the intercom. "Numbuh 4? Could you please tell me what idiot you need to talk to?"

This time she thought she heard a chuckle, but the gruff voice came back. "Numbuh 6th century, duh. To say his cruddy castle place is finished."

"Oh! Well why didn't you just say so, silly? He's sitting right here!" Kuki turned and yelled cheerfully. "Hey, King Sandy! Numbuh 4 says your cruddy castle is finished!"

'King' Sandy, Supreme Leader of the Kids Next Door, woke up from his 'throne' atop the control center. He gave a drowsy nod and fell asleep again.

Numbuh Three turned back to the intercom. "He says fine." She giggled. "You guys can come up anytime!"

"Yeah, great." A sigh. "Now mebbe ah can get to something _useful_…"

The transmission cut to static before Kuki could reply. She frowned and banged the console, but nothing changed. Shrugging, she turned away from it, back to the massive image projected on the dome of the control center. Historically, this had been used for vidfeed transmissions, but now it constantly replayed 'The Rainbow Monkey Massive Marathon." Up next to Sandy, Kuki could see her sister bobbing her head up and down. The Global Tactical Officer should be sitting there—Kuki frowned—but for some reason Wally hadn't been in the command center for a while.

A beeping recalled her to her task, and she picked up the intercom microphone. "Helloooo? This is the moonbase, and today's Rainbow…"

"Mayday! Mayday!" A panicked voice broke in. "This is Sector X, and we have a major problem here! We need reinforcements!"

Kuki cocked her head. The boy sounded very excited, and there were all kinds of strange sounds in the background, like explosions and laser blasts.

"They're all over the place! They broke through our defenses like… AAGH!"

There was a thud, and some static, and then a new voice spoke.

"We need reinforcements! Send immediate reinforcements to Sector X at coordinates…."

There was a loud BOOM, and again the radio broke off into static. Kuki frowned at the screen for a moment, scratching her head and trying to decipher what she had just heard. Finally she turned to the head throne.

"Mr. Leader Sir?" Sandy did not stir, but Mushi waved happily at her sister. "You better send somebody down to Sector X. Their radio's broken."

* * *

_"Oooooh! My first day at school! I can't wait!" Six-year old Kuki bounced up and down excitedly, hair in pigtails. "And this shirt is sooooo cute!" Gazing down at the long purple turtleneck, she stretched it out, almost to her ankles "Tell me mommy…" She twisted around. "Do I look pretty?!"_

_She looked up eagerly to her mother's frowning face. "You look fine." was the curt reply. "Its good grandma sent those shirts. Now hold on a minute while I get your lunch."_

_A little frown troubled Kuki's face as her mother disappeared. Turning to her bag, she dug out a brightly colored stuffed animal and whispered. "Do I look pretty, Fashion-Sense Rainbow Monkey?" She pretended to listen a moment and her face brightened. "Thank you, Fashion Sense Rainbow Monkey!" In an outburst of affection, she embraced the animal and kissed it's little plastic nose. "You look pretty too."_

_Mother came back in with the little paper sack that contained Kuki's lunch. "You're taking that with you?" She frowned._

_Looking up, Kuki nodded brightly._

_"Hmm." Mother rolled her eyes. "All right. Here's your lunch. Now you get down to the stop before bus." She eyed her daughter. "Do you remember where it is?"_

_"Oh yes!" Kuki nodded again. "Two blocks down, then one block to the right, and I stop right outside the scary house with the rabid dog in the front yard!" _

_Her mother's face cracked into an approving smile. "Good girl."_

* * *

"Kuki? Hey, Kuki!"

"Yes?" Kuki came to with a start and a bubbly smile.

Frowning, Wally shook his head and repeated. "I wuz just asking you, did Sector X say anything about the attack?"

Kuki pondered that for a second. "Well…" She finally answered. "They didn't reaaaaally say they were being attacked, you know…"

She could almost hear Wally roll his eyes. "Whatevah. What did they say, then?"

"That they needed help." She thought some more. "Oh, and that some people had broken through their… defenses, or something like that."

"Hey, why do you wanna talk about this?" King Sandy, slouched in his chair at the far end of the table, arched an eyebrow. "That happened nearly two weeks ago."

"And _during_ them two weeks," Wally responded irately, turning on the little boy. "We've lost about six different treehouses an' sectors." Wally tried to hide his disgust for Sandy, but every so often it burst off.. "This crud is serious, _your majesty_."

"Ah, let the foul fiends throw themselves against our borders!" Sandy seemed to recover some spirit at the mention of an attack. "They can do nothing to harm us here, in my castle."

The other end of the table said nothing, they merely stared in disbelief. Numbuh 74.239 closed his eyes.

"There is nothing to fear." Sandy surveyed the room, grinning with his two buckteeth. "We need not trouble ourselves about such matters." He bent to his desk. "Now, about those office renovations…"

"Your majesty, this matter becomes more serious when one considers the state of alarm KND is currently in." Numbuh 5-Star, the new head of the army, spoke up from down the table. "Most of them idiots we ain't seen since the scavenger hunt thing are back in business."

"Like who?" Sandy inspected the end of his scepter.

"Wink and Fibb, for one." 5-Star consulted a paper. "We got confirmation of their takedown of Sector J. Knight Brace, too, has been recently sighted in Hershey, Pennsylvania, and the Weird Cat Lady…"

"Yeah, yeah, okay." Sandy waved off the rest of the report. "So what? We have the strongest fortress in the world right here, and it's not going anywhere. We just need to recall all our troops to the castle, and they can't do anything."

Someone at the table groaned. Wally stood to his feet. "Look here, mate. Father was the last person to get them chuckleheads to work together. It ain't him this time, " Wally shook his head. "we got too many people on his mansion. But he managed to pretty much knock out alla us. Even the moonbase got taken down."

Sandy paused, listening.

"We need to find out who it is, before that happens again." Wally sat down

Mushi, who sat at Sandy's right, leaned forward and whispered in his ear. Everyone around the table exchanged glances. Finally, Mushi leaned back, and Sandy straightened in his chair.

"Well." He said. "Numbuh 4, you seem awfully worried about this whole thing."

Wally snorted. "You cruddy well bet I am."

"Well then," An evil grin spread on Sandy's face as he adjusted his crown. "I order you to investigate these attacks as well as you can."

Some whispering broke out, but Wally simply shrugged. "All right. Do I get a team?"

"Surely, my loyal subject!" Sandy gave an offhand wave. "But certainly you doth need no assistance in your noble quest!"

"I'd like Sector W to come along." Wally cocked a small grin. "They're a good buncha kids."

Sandy shrugged. "Okay. I grant to you the Sector of W, to do as you will."

Only Kuki, who knew her sister, caught the momentary look of panic on her face.

* * *

_Kuki bounced merrily in through the door. "Hi, nice-teacher-lady!" She called, holding up her hand. "The hallway guard told me to come here!"_

_Seventeen unfamiliar faces turned to look at her. Some showed alarm, some amusement, but most simply bored interest. _

_The teacher came out from behind her desk. Apparently annoyed, she glanced over a list. "Kuki? Kuki Sanban?" She asked, and Kuki nodded. "You're five minutes late for class, Kuki. The bus got here nearly half-an-hour ago, where have you been?"_

_"Wellllll…." Kuki played around with her sleeves a little. "I waaaaaas going to come straight here, but I got off and I saw the posters by the kindergartener's room, and then I ran over to the library cause they were talking about something there, and then…"_

_"Enough." The teacher held up a hand to quiet the amused class. "Kuki, I'm sorry, but there's only one seat left. You'll have to take it." She pointed, and Kuki, shrugging, bounced over and plumped down._

_"Now." The teacher walked back to the front of the room. "If we could all return to the life cycle of the lima bean…"_

_Unsurprisingly, Kuki soon lost interest in the subject. Turning, she poked the boy next to her, a brown-haired kid with freckles. "Hi!" She whispered, smiling. "I'm Kuki! What's your name?"_

_The boy stared at her a moment, and then abruptly turned around._

_Shrugging, Kuki leaned forward and poked the girl in front of her. "Hi!" She whispered again. "I'm Kuki! What's…"_

_The girl whirled around and put a finger to her lips. "Shhh!" She hissed._

_Startled, Kuki drew back, then stuck out her tongue at the girls back. Twisting around, she started to poke the girl behind her. "Hi…"_

_"Kuki Sanban!" The sharp voice whipped Kuki back to the front of the class, to the glowering teacher. "If I have to tell you one more time to sit still…" She shook her finger at Kuki. "…I will have to ask you to go in the corner! Do you understand!?"_

_Kuki sat very still and very straight. "Yes, nice-teacher-lady." She answered._

_Grumbling, the teacher moved back into her discussion of the fertilization of lima beans. The classroom filled with tthe rustling of paper, and Kuki looked about her in silence._

_After a couple minutes, Kuki glanced about, and slowly, quietly, reached into her knapsack._

_"Hi!" She smiled at the fuzzy face just visible in the darkness of her sack. "I'm Kuki! What's your name?"_

* * *

"Soooo… why'd you want to meet me at Lime Ricky's!" Kuki bounced up in her chair excitedly. "Is it a date? It's a date, isn't it? That's why…"

"No!" Wally glanced around the restaurant furiously. "It is NOT a date! I need to talk to you… Look, just pay attention to me for a moment, all right? I need to talk 'bout something."

Kuki shrugged and stuck her straw in her slushie. Wally had a very peculiar idea of how to behave at dates. Oh well.

"I just…" Wally was agitated, it was clear. "Look, Numbuh Three, them attacks are still going on, and there ain't no sign of stopping. It's getting really bad."

"You mean…" Kuki cocked her head a moment. "The same things as before?"

"Yeah." Wally frowned at the table. "All the same. Treehouse torn apart, Hamsters all gone, computer files too." Furious, he rubbed a spot on the table. "And nothing anyone can tell us! The only thing they can tell us is that there were three of them, and they were wearing masks, and they were dressed like Teenz."

"So that's why all the radios kept fizzing out." Kuki's face was rapt with wonder for a moment, then she grinned. "Oh well. We'll just haveta get some new ones!"

"Aw c'mon." Wally glared. "We gotta real cruddy problem here, and we don't have anything to go on! These guys'll rip us apart!"

"Ohhhhh." Kuki thought on that a moment. "That is bad."

"No kidding, I thought…"

"I mean, I need to get my Brave-in-the-Face-of-Certain-Doom Rainbow Monkey!" Kuki jumped up from the table. "We can't get through this without…"

"Kuki!" Hissing, Wally grabbed her hand, pulling her back down. "Would ya listen to me a bit here?"

Kuki was too surprised to reply.

"Look, we found a weapon in the last place." Wally brought out something from his backpack. "Take a look at it and tell me what ya can."

Pouting, Kuki took the weapon. "Why don't you just give it to Numbuh 74.239 on the moonbase?" She asked. "He's lots better than I am!"

"I don't trust that cruddy moonbase." Wally snarled, slouching back and folding his arms. "Least not while that idiot Sandy works there. Besides…" And Wally's face fell a little. "Numbuh 74.239 got decommissioned three days ago."

"Huh?" Kuki looked up, startled. "But… But I thought his birthday wasn't till September!"

"Who knows?" Wally shrugged. "Mebbe that wuz something to throw them off track. I heard he tried to run."

"Huh." It seemed strange to Kuki, but she shrugged it off. "So…" She looked down at the weapon. "Hey! Isn't this one of those mustard pistol thingies?"

"Ah thought so, at first." Wally nodded, frowning. "But it's weird. The whole things been changed, and it's got one of those Teen-Lipstick-Lasers."

"Huh!" Kuki studied it for a moment. "Well, I'll have Daring Detective Rainbow Monkey…"

Suddenly she stopped. Her eyes grew big and round.

"Numbuh 5!" She squealed, bouncing out of her chair. "Numbuh 5! Over here!"

Half the cafeteria turned around to look at her, but the teenage black girl with the baseball cap did not, save a glance back to see what the ruckus was.

"Numbuh 5…?"

"Kuki!" Wally yanked her down so hard she nearly landed on top of him. "What do you…" He struggled out from under her, blushing furiously. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Ummm…" Puzzled, Kuki cocked her head. "Saying hi to Numbuh 5?"

"She ain't Numbuh 5 no more, Kuki!" Wally hissed. "She's Abby Lincoln! Just plain old Abby Lincoln! She don't remember any of that cruddy stuff!"

Kuki's face fell. "Oh." She said, suddenly feeling very small. "Right." She looked over. Abby Lincoln was sitting down by the counter, trading jokes with her sister.

"We ain't even supposed to be watching her." Wally snorted. "Much less yelling her name out in broad daylight like that." Than, seeing Kuki's face, he sighed. "Look." He said, leaning over the table. "They're gone, and they ain't coming back. But we ain't gonna get anywhere just sitting around moping about it. We gotta move on, and deal with it ourselves."

Head down, Kuki nodded. Baby tears twinkled at the corner of her eyes.

"We ain't got her, or Numbuh 2, or even Numbuh 1 around anymore to help us out." Wally continued. "But we gotta think, what they would do if they WERE." He let that sink in. "I mean…" He indicated the gun. "A year ago, if we found this cruddy gun, I'd let Numbuh 1 take it, and have Numbuh 2 look at it!" He offered a hesitant grin. "The only part I'd be interested in woulda been beating stuff up."

That brought a little giggle from Kuki. Hesitantly, she glanced up at the counter one last time. A short chubby boy in a pilot's cap had come up to the two girls, and seemed to be saying something. Both girls rolled their eyes and turned away.

She turned back to the table, and noticed Wally was watching too. He looked to her. "It's just the two of us now, mate. Everybody else…" He counted on his fingers. "Numbuh 1, 2, 5, 362, 60, 65.3, 86, 363…" He made a face and added, "Good riddance," then continued. "74.239, 10, the 44 twins, even Numbuh 30c." he closed his fingers into a fist. "They're all gone. Nobody left but us two."

Kuki stared at Wally. Wally stared at her.

At least, until there was a beeping on Wally belt.

He picked up his PAGER and his eyes widened. "C'mon!" he whispered, grabbing her arm and tugging her to the exit. "Moonbase just got a message from the Undersea Lab. It's under attack!"

* * *

_"So for today's lesson on Undersea creatures, everyone will pick a favorite animal to study." The teacher smiled around the class. "Okay? Now your partner will be the person right next to you, so go ahead and introduce yourselves."_

_Kuki flew over to the left. "Hi!" She smiled at the girl. "My name's Kuki, and I love Rainbow Monkeys! What about you?"_

_The girl, who was just a little taller than Kuki, and a good deal darker, threw her a puzzled look from under the red baseball cap she was wearing. "Ummm… Abby."_

_"Nice to meet you Abby!" Kuki's arm shot out and grabbed the other's where it lay on the desk. Shaking it furiously up and down, she said to the puzzled Abby. "I hope we can be friends! Do you hope so?"_

_The corners of the new girl's mouth seemed to be struggling against a smile. "Abby guesses, sure."_

_Kuki blinked a little at the girl's strange way of talking, but shrugged it off. Maybe she was like Lonely Contemplative Rainbow Monkey, and just talked that way. "So what do you like?" She tilted her head._

_Abby was definitely grinning now. "Blowing stuff up and shooting at sisters."_

_"REALLY!? You have a sister too?" Clapping her hands together, Kuki bounced up and down. "I have a little sister, she's just about 4 years old, and she's SOOO cute! Her names Mushi, and I play games with her, and pinch her cheeks, and, and…" Kuki frowned in thought, then shrugged. "I dunno. But I do all sorts of things! I don't shoot at her, though." She added, as an afterthought._

_The new girl let out a chuckle. It sounded dry, as if she had not done so for a while. "Good. Not everyone can be crazy like Abby." Up and down the girl's eye's went, as if she was studying Kuki. "How old are you, kid?"_

_"Oh, six!" Kuki held up her fingers to demonstrate. "It was my birthday like two weeks ago! How about you?'_

_"Abby's coming on seven years old." Came the answer. "But she ain't quite there yet. You're just about the right age…" Abby's voice trailed off and she did not finish, but instead asked. "You're new here, right? You got any friends here yet?"_

_"Oh yeah!" Diving into her bookbag, Kuki came out with an armful of stuffed animals. "I have Fair-Weather-Friend Rainbow Monkey, and Gossip-Girlfreind Rainbow Monkey, and Firm-Comrade Rainbow Monkey from Russia, and Imaginary-Friend Rainbow Monkey, and even the Best-Friends Rainbow Monkey set!" Kuki squealed and added in a whisper. "They're my favorite."_

_The girl was staring at her. Kuki could not interpret the expression, but she assumed it was envy, and with an outburst of compassion, picked up the Firm-Comrade Rainbow Monkey and laid in the girl's lap. "Here, you can have one."_

_"Eh, no thanks." The girl handed it back, still staring. "Listen, Kid, that's great and all, but how 'bout you stick close to Abby for the next day or so. She'll show ya how things work and all."_

_Kuki did not completely understand, but she nodded anyway._

"_Now." The girl turned to her desk. "We gotta get moving on this report here. What sea animal you thinkin' of doing?"_

"_Ooooh! Sea Monkey!"_

* * *

"Still dunno how they even found it." Frowning sullenly, Wally tossed the paper across the table. "Shot right down through into the ocean, and bashed it all in." He glared around the solemn faces surrounding him. "This is bad."

"Well, we beat them, didn't we?" In a hope of winning smiles, Kuki glanced up and down the table, but received no response. She looked backed to Wally.

Sighing, Wally made a face. "Not really. They coulda done a lot in the time it took us to get them out. Course, woulda been easier if we had some help." Saying this, he shot a withering look at the Supreme Leader at the end of the table. Sandy, who for once was paying attention, caught the look and glared right back.

"I told you." He said, with a toss of his head. "The royal capital was under attack! All operatives had already been summoned to defend it. YOU should have been there yourself, along with your men." With a supercilious stare, Sandy proceeded to ask. "Where _were_ you, Commander?"

"Ah just said I wuz at the lab." Wally snorted. "Like the other half of them adults. Wink and Fibb, the Cat Lady, Knightbrace, the Ice Cream troopers…" Wally indicated the paper. "Take your pick. All there."

"Aw, that was a fake." Mushi, again on Sandy's right, blew off the argument. "Why would they go there? They were after the head base."

"That would explain why it began about 30 seconds after the moonbase attack." Muttered a voice down the table.

The rest of table met this remark with silence, but Wally pressed on. "From what I heard, the only attackers you HAD were people from the Ice Cream Factory. That ain't an attack! The defense grid coulda handled them."

"There was one attacker who penetrated the outer walls." Another timid voice at the table remarked.

"Yeah." Wally snorted. "The Toilenator. Whoopdee-do."

There was a chuckle, but King Sandy's glare suppressed it immediately. He turned to face Wally. "_Any _attack on the_ royal_ citadel has priority over _any_ others. It must be defended at _all_ costs. Do you understand, my _loyal_ knight?"

Rolling his eyes, Wally nodded.

Sandy inclined his head and leaned regally back on his 'throne', sticking his feet upon the table. "Well then. Are there any other announcements?" He asked, looking around the table and clearly expecting none.

"One more." Sandy sighed as Wally rose to his feet. "Thought ya might like a look at this. Some of them camera doo-hickey's at the sea lab caught some pictures of those three we been trying to track."

A murmur spread throughout the room. Sandy sat up straight. Mushi sat up straighter. Swaggering, Wally spread the photos out on the table.

"They're fuzzy." He pointed. "And they're all dressed in that cruddy armor stuff, so ya can't tell who the heck they are."

"So?" Mushi shrugged. "That doesn't tell us anything!"

"Sir." Another figure stood, Numbuh 10-bit, new head scientist. "I have looked over the picture Numbuh 4 has provided, and it reveals a number of interesting things." He took the paper from Wally and pointed. "One assailant is quite shorter than the other. There is apparently a great disparity of age between them. Also," He pointed again. "From what we can see, the armor is not completely of the Teenz variety, it seems to have been augmented in various ways." He put down the picture. "These are no runaway renegades we are dealing with here, your majesty."

"Forgot one other thing." Wally picked up the photo again, obviously enjoying himself. "Lookit the weapon this one's got." He lifted it up so the others could see better. "It's a SPLANKER."

"SPLANKER?"

"That's a KND issued weapon!"

"None of the Teenz or the other villains use it!"

"Or even want to. It's kinda pointless."

"Hush!"

"Wow, thanks, Numbuh 4!" The pandemonium died down as Mushi stood up. "I guess this maybe is a big deal after all!" She smiled all around the table, then looked at Sandy. "Do you wanna take a break to look it over some more, Mr. Supreme Leader sir?"

"Huh?" Sandy blinked at her a moment. "Oh, yeah!" He nodded. "The meeting is dismissed. We shall appoint our highest councilors to look over this matter in detail."

"Yeah, so, Numbuh 4, could you give us that picture?" Mushi held out her hand. "And Numbuh 10-bit, we're gonna need all the direct feeds from there."

"Yeah, that too." Sandy nodded.

"Yes sir."

"Yes sir."

The occupants filed out silently. Kuki found Wally walking near the back, so she ran up and grabbed his arm. "Well, I thought that was a _wonderful_ presentation!"

"It was cruddy." Wally groaned, rubbing his face with his hand. He did that a lot lately, Kuki noticed. "No one in that cruddy room even cares about this whole mess! It's like they got bigger problems on their minds or something."

"Well I thought it was good." Kuki insisted. "And besides, Sandy said he'd like to look at it, didn't he?"

"As much as that counts." Wally grimaced. "I wonder where Numbuh 5-Star was…"

"Oh, he was arrested." Kuki giggled. "Just yesterday. For… insubordering, or something like that."

Stopping, Wally turned and faced her. "In-subor-what?"

"Excuse me, miss." A shrimpish technician interrupted them. "You're Numbuh 3, correct?"

Kuki termed to face the boy. "Oh yeah! What do you want?"

"It's about the… um… the new Rainbow Monkey you ordered to be placed in the girl's lounge downstairs. You know, the one you had shipped here special?"

"The Impossible Imagination Rainbow Monkey, Limited Edition!" Kuki's head bounced up and down, quite oblivious to Wally's disbelieving stare. "They only make about 500 of them and I've had one on backorder for FOR-EVER. What about it?"

"Well… ummm… miss… see, the fact is…" The technician gulped. "It seems to have… disappeared in the attack on the moonbase."

Kuki's bubbly attitude vanished in a moment. "WHAT?" She screamed.

"Aw, please, what's the big deal?" Wally grunted. "Nobody got hurt." He fell into musing. "What kinda person would steal a rainbow Monkey anyWAAAAGH!"

The end of his sentence turned into a scream as Kuki yanked on his shirt, pulling him down the hallway. "_Hangar 1_!" She screamed at the unfortunate technician, running alongside. "_Get me a ship, NOW_!

* * *

_"Can we play with Rainbow Monkey's during recess?" Kuki eyed her new friend hopefully. _

_Abby grunted. "Sure ya can. But why would ya want to?" Looking over, she smiled at the timid asian. "Aw, don't you worry none. Numbuh 5's gonna introduce you to her buddies, and then we gonna have a great time."_

_"But… can we play with MY friends too?"_

_"What friends ya… Oh." Abby sighed and rubbed her eyes. "Ah, I guess so. But look, kid, at least try ta play wid Numbuh 5 and her bud's too, 'kay? At least while yer playing with them…" Abby's nose wrinkled. "Stuffed pillows of brand-names."_

_"Okay!" Kuki smiled happily. Just so long as she got to play with Cuddlestiltskin. "Where are your friends, anyway?"_

_"Over there." Abby pointed. Kuki looked, and saw a short, squat boy running over toward a balding kid in a red shirt, who seemed to be bending over something on the ground._

_"C'mon." Abby tugged on her hand. "Let's go over dere and talk to them."_

_"Who's that?" Kuki asked, pointing at a short, blonde boy they were helping up from the ground. He looked a little roughed up. Kuki giggled a little._

_"No idea." Abby frowned. "Must be another new kid, like you. C'mon, let's go over there and find out where he's from."_

* * *

"WHERE IS HE!?" Guards ran screaming as the entire wall caved under the foot of the enormous rabbit. Close behind came the operatives of Sector W,Wally at the head."WHERE? WHERE IS HE?" The loud roars of Hippy-Hop echoed through the halls. "YOU'D BETTER NOT BE HIDING HIM!" Lasers shot from the rabbit's nose and raked the ground.

"Coool…"

"Lee! Not now!" Sonya hissed to her partner. "We need to keep Numbuh 4 covered!"

"Hey Sonya!" Shauny tugged at the girl's sleeve. "What're we doing in my dad's basement, anyways?"

Sonya shrugged.

The team approached a heavy blast door, and Wally shook his head. "Can't get through that with small arms, Kuki. Need to get some blast charges, rig them at the hinges…"

"WHERE IS HE!?"

Wally and Sector W dove back as Hippy-Hop leapt forward, and an ear-splitting crash shook the ground. Out of the smoke and debris came Numbuh 5, coughing, in a pink lacy hat and carrying a parachute, and definitely not smiling.

She pointed at the gaping hole. "GO!" She barked, and the others hurried to obey.

Wally came jogging up alongside her. "So, uh… Kuki." He began, unsure of how to deal with this new side of her. "What makes you… I mean, why are we… attacking Mr. Boss' place?"

"Because he stole it!" Kuki's rifle fired twice, and three soldiers dropped.

"Riiight." Wally nodded uneasily. "And… uh… what makes you think that?" Wally's shots went right and left in a perfect spread of fire.

"He's in charge of the others!"

"Riight. And… how do we know that?"

"Wait, Numbuh 4, she has a good point." Sonya had dropped back and was speaking to them. "Somebody's been leading the villains, right? And we know it isn't Father, right?"

"Yeah, sure." Wally suddenly moved in front of Kuki, grunting as a stray blast hit him in the shoulder.

"Well, Mr. Boss has gotten villains together before." Sonya pointed out. "And he definitely is used to leading."

"Dad HAS been awful busy lately." Shauny, also dropping back. "I guess I didn't think about it much, since I haven't been home too often."

"But what for?" Wally frowned. "He's never been THAT big a pain. And anyway, why'd he steal a Rainbow…" He trailed off at the look on Kuki's face. "Uh… Never mind."

Finally Lee spoke. "I know."

But what exactly Lee knew was interrupted by a fresh rain of gunfire.

* * *

_"Yo Numbuh 1. Numbuh 2." Abby nodded to her two friends as she came up. "How's it been going?"_

_"Numbuh 5!" The bald boy hissed. "You KNOW we're not supposed to use our codenames in public!" _

_Kuki giggled. These kids were funny. And kinda weird._

_Abby shrugged. "Whatevah, Nigel." She looked down. "Who's this kid?"_

_"Hmmm?" Nigel glanced over at the short boy struggling to his feet. "Oh… just some new kid Jerry and his pals were picking on. Not a major situation." He gestured to the chubby boy. "Excuse me, 'Hoagie', but would you be so kind as to escort him over to the recess monitor?"_

_"Sure." The chubby boy started to move off, but stopped as the bald one spoke again_

_"Now." Nigel turned. "Did you get those specifications on the Principal's Office? We need them to do our assault this afternoon! Kids everywhere…"_

"_Ummm… Nigel?" Abby coughed. "This here is Kuki. She's a new kid in my class." _

_The bald boy suddenly noticed her and turned pale. "Oh…" Attempting a ghastly smile, he reached out a hand. "Hello, 'Kuki.' Ah… How are you doing?"_

_Breaking into a fresh set of giggles, Kuki answered. "Fine! Why are all you guys talking so funny? With these 'Numbuhs' and 'codenames' and stuff."_

_A hint of panic flashed above the boy's sunglasses. "Ah… it's a game!" He decided, smiling. "A game! We like to pretend we're members of a top secret organization that battles adult tyranny!"_

_"Yeah." The chubby boy spoke for the first time. "It's really cool. We play in this treefort and we get to use all sorts of neat gadgets, and…" He stopped as the other two stared him into silence. "It's… just a fun game." He coughed. "I'll... uh... I'll go get the teacher now." He shuffled off.  
_

_"Huh." Kuki thought for a moment, and then shrugged. "Sounds like fun. Can I play?"_

_Abby and Nigel stared at her, bewildered._

* * *

"All right, ya cruddy Boss!" An enormous explosion announced the entrance of Sector W and their leaders. "Now you're gonna pay for…"

"YOU!" Kuki shoved Wally aside "How dare you steal my Impossible Imagination Rainbow Monkey! You tell me where he is, right now!"

"What're you brat's doing in my house?" Mr Boss turned to face them, sheltered behind a wall of his ice-cream troopers. "Especially you two," He added, pointing at Lee and Sonya. "You oughta know better than to show your face around here. And Shauny..." He gestured. "Go upstairs, now!"

"But Pop…!"

"Now!" Mr Boss growled, and Shauny shambled away dejectedly. "Now listen here, you kids." He continued, turning back to them. "When I get through with all of you, you're going to wish you never left that stupid Moonbase of yours, even if it is the only place still standing." He chuckled. "Never thought of me, did you? Ha! Father and all those other stupid competitors of mine been trying for years, but I always knew I could bring you brats down. Just had to wait for the right time."

Sector W was seething, but Wally held them back. He had seen a certain look in Kuki's eyes, and it had given him an idea.

But Numbuh 3," He turned suddenly on the girl. "What's all this about your blamed Rainbow Monkey? I couldn't care less about your stupid Rainbow Monkey. Why I…"

"STUPID?" Kuki leapt forward with a screech, her eyes flaming, and her teeth bared.

Mr. Boss's smile suddenly drooped. "Aw, nuts."

"NOW!" Wally roared, and Sector W tore into the guards.

* * *

_Kuki stared at her two friends. They had not said anything yet, just gone back and forth with a lot of whispering. She couldn't understand all the fuss about a little club. Occasionally she caught snippets of their conversation, like, "…But with 8a and 8b down…" Or: "…seems she'd be good at diversions…", but on the whole the conversation was lost on her._

_She noticed the chubby boy had come back with the short one. The short kid kept making some sort of pleading gesture, and the fat kid kept biting his fingernail and looking from the short one to the other two._

_Finally the short one smacked him, and he, wincing, hesitantly approached the others. "Ummm… Numbuh 1?" The chubby boy said apparently nervous. "The… um… thing is, this guy… well, he said…"_

_There was some more whispering, and then a "WHAT?"_

"_We can't…"_

"_Wait, wait…" And the discussion faded into whispering again._

_Feeling bored, and more than a little left out, Kuki glanced over at the short boy. He was standing with his arms crossed, glaring at the group defiantly._

_A smile perked the corner of Kuki's mouth, and she bounced over to him. "Hi!" She said, smiling cheerfully as the boy started out of his daze. "My name's Kuki! What's yours?"_

"_Uhhhh…." The boy stared at her for a long minute, seemingly bewildered. "Ummm…." He coughed. "Um… Mah names Wally."_

_Kuki smiled delightedly. "Oh goodie! Mine's Kuki!"_

* * *

"Keep on 'em! All ri-hight!" Wally laughed with glee as the soldiers reeled back. "Who's the squirt now, huh? Huh?"

"You STUPID idiots!" Wally winced as he heard the scream of rage. "Rainbow Monkeys are NOT stupid! Now WHERE is he? WHERE'S MY LIMITED EDITION IMPOSSIBLE IMAGINATION…"

Rather fortunately in Wally's opinion, Kuki was interrupted at this point by a sudden burst of fire. Rather unfortunately in everyone's opinion, so were all the others in the room.

Wally was knocked over. Mr. Boss was knocked over. Sector W tumbled to the ground in a heap. Kuki flipped head over heals seven times and collapsed. The troopers groaned as one and sank to the floor.

"What's going on here?" A tall, lean ninja stood, clad from head to foot in sleek black armor, weapons bristling from everywhere. A gleaming red eyepiece stared at them all.

The red eye caught sight of Wally. "Oh, you!" The figure seemed enraged. "Always sneaking around, aren't ya? Can't let anything go, can ya?"

Wally grimaced and struggled to his feet.

"Mr. Boss, what's with all this?" The figure asked, turning to the hunchback struggling to his feet. "We said you were to finish them off and then join us in the escape SCAMPER!"

Wally blinked. Looking over at Lee and Sonya, he received only a shrug.

"I was going to!" The villain groused. "But it's that stupid brat with the black hair! She went feral on me!"

"That Numbuh Three?" A new voice came from the hole, and out stepped another long lean ninja, followed by a much shorter one. "Is she NUTS? And what's she bringing along all these boys for, anyway?"

Frowning, Wally tried to place the voice. It sounded so familiar….

"After the Rainbow Monkey, probably." The faceplate of the first figure folded back to reveal the face of Numbuh 12. "I told you it wasn't a good idea to grab that."

"I'll do whatever I FEEL like, thank ye very much!" The tall one shrieked at Numbuh 12. "It doesn't make a difference now, anyways!"

"Yeah." The short ninja stepped up, almost grinning through the faceplate. "We'll make sure they never leave."

THAT voice Wally knew. He leapt to his feet. "Why, you cruddy, double-faced, beaver-toothed…"

"Take it easy, BOY!" The tall leader moved suddenly, and Wally found himself staring down the end of a very ugly-looking barrel.

"Yeah." The shorter one took off his helmet—Numbuh 363. "Wouldn't want ya to get hurt, now would we?"

"Oh…." Wally heard a little intake of breath behind him. "So not cool."

"Harvey!" Came a shriek from the back. "You… how could you…?"

"Shut up!" 363 screamed, and a huge ketchup cannon folded out of his arm. "I'm gonna pump you too so full of…"

"Easy, BOY." Snarled the leader, and now Wally knew where he'd heard that voice. "Yer not gonna do anything more here, ya hear? The positions been compromised. We're outta here." She stepped closer to her two comrades, gun still trained on Wally. "Anyway..." The faceplate folded back to show an extremely irate Numbuh 86. Half her face was covered in 2x4 cybernetics, and her eyes had a new fire in them. "there's nothing more these stupid BOYS can do now to stop us anyways."

There was a loud BANG, and all of them were lost in a blinding flash of light

Break

**A/N: Please REVIEW! Reviews are glorious things! They enlighten my path and correct my wanderings!**

**This is a key chapter, as it starts setting up Wally and Kuki, who will be the main characters for the remainder of the story, so if anything strikes you as a good idea, let me know. I had to rewrite Wally a number of times, as he's changed a little from the Wally of the show. It worked out all right, I guess. Thanks to tater06 and bsc999 for their info on the characters.  
**

**The other problem is all of the OC's in this chapter. Most of them won't be important, but those characters are always hard for an audience. Fanfiction is kinda lame that way sometimes. You don't have to create realistic characters, you just have to stay true to them. On the other hand, that also takes a great deal of skill, as I've noted above.  
**

**Anyway, enough philosophizing. The next update may take some time. I haven't thought out much of it, and there are also some breaks I'll need to take to deal with life. How annoying. Please let me know what you think.**


	11. Problem

_Of course it was Fanny. Even then, I think we should have seen that coming. But we were all reeling from the loss of Numbuh 2 and Numbuh 5, and we weren't exactly ready to face a new enemy. Plus, we didn't know a lot that we know now. Hindsight is always 20/20. At the time… well, let's just say they didn't think she would be a problem._

_You know the story already, of course, or at least you SHOULD if you're up on your KND history. It's a sad story, in a way. But the tale of Fanny and the KND is fascinating, in its own way, and as with so much else in history, it's easy to miss the tension of a moment. Everyone knows how it DID end. But when they were fighting, Wally and Kuki, on their last mission, they couldn't know how it would end. They could not know how their work would be for nothing, and yet be very important. They couldn't know how the thing they trusted most could destroy them. They couldn't have known anything._

_Of course, most historians will tell you that it was after this mission that Numbuh 2 and Numbuh 4 really began to change. They have no idea of the truth. They had begun to change long before, they had changed the day Numbuh 1 left, they had changed again the day Numbuh 2 and Numbuh 5 did. But their last mission with the KND really changed them, and made them into what they became. The events that followed would not have happened if they had not already changed._

_The last mission… it sounds so grandeur, doesn't it? It probably wasn't. Not for them. But even they must have known how it would be. For in order to defeat his greatest enemy, Numbuh 4 would have to do the unthinkable._

_Numbuh 4 would have to think._


	12. Prodigy

"Eleventy-two billion tons of 2x4 technology on that cruddy moonbase, and they can't tell us a thing about how those three left, or where they went." Wally growled at the tabletop.

"Or where they took the rainbow monkeys." Kuki folded her arms with a huff of disgust. "What're they doing up there?"

"Kooks, not so loud."

Kuki sighed and subsided. The two of them were sitting at a table in Lime Ricky's. A very nervous Lee, Sonya, and Shauny were seated just across the table

"So…" Nervous, Sonya twiddled her fingers. " …any word about those other operatives Numbuh 6th century promised us?"

"You think that cruddy idiot's actually going to do anything?" Wally shook his head. "Ah told him three weeks ago what we found, what they had, and what we needed. And he ain't done a cruddy thing."

"Not cool."

"Isn't he kinda busy?" Shauny, like Sonya, kept glancing around. "I mean, I heard that he's got most of the KND working on…"

"Treehouse rebuilding, yeah." Wally nodded. "But that's takin' a while, cause he ain't using them seeds that Numbuh 42 developed. He's having all the treehouses be turned into…" Wally made a face. "…castles. All of 'em."

"Oh." Shauny's face drooped and he studied the table. "That's… that's going to take a while."

"So we're not going to get our treehouse back either?" Sonya gazed into Wally's eyes pleadingly.

Again Wally shook his head. "Nope. And all them files are gone."

"So I can't look up any of the information you gathered?" Kuki fumed. "That was the best stuff we had! Now how am I supposed to find my Impossible Imagination…"

"Why do ya think they attacked it first?" Wally interrupted her, frowning. "Ah'm sure they wanted to get rid of it all."

"Isn't it backed up at the moonbase Computuh?" Shauny suggested.

"Sure." Wally grunted. "All of them are. But nobody's got access to that thing right now. They're 'purifying the system' or something like that"

Kuki sighed and flounced back in her seat. "Fine." She pouted. "So what do we have to work with?"

"Just whatever the moonbase picks up, I guess." Sonya shrugged.

"And stuff from before." Lee added.

"And anything we can guess from knowing Fanny." Shauny suggested.

"Not much, then." Wally frowned. "Crud."

* * *

_"BOOM! BANG! WHAMMO!"_

_"TV!" The baby on the floor pointed._

_"Ohohoho! Yes dear, that is a TV. And what a nasty show!" A bubbly mother giggled over her little child. "Here, let your momma change the channel for you." She reached forward._

_"No!" The baby screamed. "TV!"_

_"Oh?" Stopping, the mother looked inquisitively at her son. "You like that, Wally dear? Well, allright then." She straightened and watched her son crawl across the floor. "Aw, Wally darling, you're growing up so fast!"_

_The baby stopped to glare at her indignantly, then turned back to the television._

_"KABOOM! WHAM! WATCH HULK HARRIS THROW THAT PIANO! SLAM!" _

_"Hulk!" The baby stared up at screen._

_"Ahh!" The mother's hands flew to her face in excitement. "A new word! You just said a new word! Oh, wait tell I tell your daddy!" _

_"Boom!' Wally picked up one of his blocks and let it fall. "Kaboom!" He squealed excitedly as it bounced against the floor._

_"Oh, m'dear!" Mrs. Beatles watched her child devotedly. "Don't you just love those things your grandmum sent you? Look at how you're playing!" _

_"Bang bang." Wally gurgled, looking down at the blocks on the floor. "Boom."_

_"Oh, aren't you a sweet little thing." His mother smiled. "Now you just stay in here, and your mum'll be right back with some fresh roasted kangaroo."_

_She bustled out, and Wally squinted back up at the television._

_"THIRTY THOUSAND TONS OF STEEL LIFTED BY TWENTY MEN! ALL ON MONDAY, FOR THE MOST MANLIEST MAN COMPETITION!!"_

_Wally frowned at the screen. He lifted up a finger. _

_"Maaaaan…"_

* * *

"Nothing?"

Studying the computer, Kuki spoke into her microphone. "Uh-uh! Nothing! There's no transmission reading or radar on that one either!"

"But Fanny and them other two trashed this place like five minutes ago!" Wally sounded very frustrated, and Kuki's eyes narrowed. "You're sure there's nothing on the record? Not anything?"

"Nope! Not a thing!" Kuki shook her head decidedly. "So… Do you think you can follow the trail?"

"Mebbe." Another sigh. "Aw, what the crud is the use!" She heard a smack as Wally apparently hit his head. "If I could just find the cruddy girl I could beat her to a pulp or somethin', but while she's bouncin' around loik this, Oi can't do a cruddy thing!"

"Aw, cheer up, Numbuh 4!" Hoping to brighten things, Kuki smiled at the microphone. "Maybe next time she'll attack you guys and you can get her then!"

"She knows better than that." Wally grumbled. "And Oi wouldn't be ready for her neither. No, Oi'm gonna haveta catch her meself." A sigh. "Oi jest needta… ah, fergit it."

"So, you gonna send up your report?" Kuki bounced happily to her pen and paper.

"Yeah." Wally's voice sounded bored and tired. "Half of operatives taken out. Base computer wiped out, most a' treehouse gone."

"Great!" Kuki popped her pen shut.

"Oh yeah, and one more thing." Wally paused. "Ah guess the sector's collection of Rainbow Monkey's is missing."

Kuki stopped.

"WHAT!?"

* * *

_"What're we gonna do today, Wally?" _

_Wally considered the matter a moment. "Well." He said finally. "How about we cloimb Mt. Everest to get the zombies, and then beat them all throw them down."_

_"Yay!" cheered the other toddlers. "Where's Mt Everest?"_

_"Uhhhh…" The tallest in the class of kindergartners, Wally could look all over the playground. "Over there!" he finished brightly, pointing at a heap of sawdust. "But wait!" He called, stopping the children in mid-rush. "First we better clobber 'em with lots and lots and lots of dodge balls!"_

_"Yeah!" Screamed the kids, and instantly the air was full of the missiles. Wally grinned as he screamed with them. He could feel the thrust of the ball as it left him, relish the power that he knew his arm must have, exult as he saw the missle rebound with breathtaking speed. Wally was the strongest, the fastest, and the tallest in kindergarten, and he loved the feeling of power it gave him._

_"All right!" He called, and grinned at the way the whole mob quieted at his words. "Now we gonna attack all them Zombies! Follow me!" And he ran toward the sawdust heap._

_"Allllll r-oight!" The mass of children charged at the sawdust and began industriously to attack it. They threw clouds of dust into the air and began to make all number of ferocious attacking noises. Some burrowed into the dusty material and made snarling sounds._

_Wally rose up, hands covered in sand. "Oi just defeated a big whopper zombie!" He cried exultingly._

_"Oh yeah?" Up rose Stevey, one of Wally's lieutenants. "Well, I just defeated a GIANT killer Zombie!"_

_"Well, I just smashed a HUMONGOUS monster zombie!" Irwin piped up. "I grabbed him by the nose and smacked him with my crowbar."_

_"Well, I just…"_

_The tumult grew louder and louder, as more and more of the kindergarteners made larger and larger boasts about the imaginary enemies they were defeating. Some jumped up and spread their arms wide to show the magnitude of the zombie they had defeated. Others concocted long and involved stories of their battles with the treacherous beasts. Finally one voice rose above all the others._

_"I just lifted an eleventy-billion ton ZOMBIE-SAURUS over my head, and threw him into half the zombie army!" Atop the pile, Wally grinned triumphantly. "Huh? Huh?"_

_The rest of the kids fell silent. Unable to think of anything more, they whispered. "Woooooooowww." They pondered that for a moment. "How'd ya do that?"_

_Wally, still smirking, answered. "I just smashed 'em, that's how! I just like ta smash things." And as the kindergarteners gazed up at him, Wally simply smiled, basking in his glory._

* * *

As they left the room and proceeded down the hallway, Kuki could just hear the mumblings from under Wally's breath. "…stupid Leader makes no stupid sense and doesn't see the stupid problem that's smashing all the stupid treehouses…"

"How'd it go?" Sonya, Shauny, and Lee jumped up as they came forward.

"Cruddy idiot…" Wally glared at the floor.

"Well…" Kuki started, attempting a smile, but failing rather badly. "He says we can use the sensor array on the moonbase, and he gave Wally some experimental…" She frowned a moment. "What'd he say it was?"

"Some clam-powered cannon." Shrugging half-heartedly, Wally leaned against the wall. "It'll be fun, but he just doesn't get the cruddy point! It ain't no good how much weaponry we have, we need to find these people! And sensor array or not…" He shot a glance at Kuki. "…we're gonna need some more people to search around."

"He doesn't even CARE about all the poor Rainbow Monkey." Kuki narrowed her eyes. "He just hopes she'll stop in a while."

"Actually that is kinda weird." Sonya looked up. "I've been meaning to talk to you about that. I thought she'd stop right after we got Mr. Boss."

Wally frowned. "What?"

"Welll…" Sonya rubbed the back of her neck. "Fanny's never been one for planning. She just follows orders."

"What?"

"She can't lead." Shauny added helpfully.

"Well, she can lead a team." Sonya pointed out. "She can tell others what to do, but only if she knows what needs to be done."

"Hmph" Kuki rubbed her chin. "So that's why she always stayed close to Numbuh 362 at the moonbase."

"Sorta." Shauny nodded. "She was never on active duty, because if she didn't have orders, she didn't do anything. So they put her in a job where was always getting them, either from Numbuh 362, or the Moonbase Computuh."

That's right." Wally thought hard. "Fanny didn't want to be leader. She tagged me the moment she could."

"I dunno." Sonya scratched the back of her neck. "But I just remember that from when she used to lead our sector, and I wondered…"

"We thought maybe Dad was telling her what to do." Shauny interrupted. "But we got him and the other villains, and she's still…"

"Raight." Wally lapsed into silence. "Yeah, that makes sense." He answered, after a while. "So what's up? Where'd she suddenly learn to think by herself?"

"Maybe she didn't." Lee whispered.

* * *

_"But MAAAAAAA!" Little Wally groaned. "The guys and I have been planning this for weeks! Days, even!"_

_"Doesn't make any difference, Wally dear!" Came the bubbly response. "You promised you'd sweep the patio today, and it does need a sweeping. So run along to your friends and tell them you'll have to catch up with them, all roight?"_

_Groaning, Wally looked down at the floor and mumbled. "Yes, mum."_

_"There's a dear!" Mrs. Beatles beamed down at her eldest. "Run along now!"_

_Wally stumbled to the door, grumbling and griping. "Stupid patio needs a stupid sweeping of some stupid dust to…" Opening the door, he glared wrathfully at Stevey, Irwin, and Bruce. "Mum says I can't go. She says I need to sweep around the house."_

_"Aw, is that what your mummy says?" Bruce grinned at him. "Well then, we'll just have to leave widout ya, won't we, mates?"_

_Stevey and Irwin chuckled, a trifle uncertainly._

_"It ain't fair!" Wally grumbled. "Ya didn't tell me what time you'd be leaving!"_

_Bruce shrugged. "That's your problem, shorty. Shoulda planned ahead"_

_Glaring, Wally responded through clenched teeth. "Don't call me shorty." _

_"Sure thing, shorty." Bruce laughed again, and Stevey and Irwin joined in. Wally leapt at him with a growl, but the big six year-old grabbed him before he could get there._

_"Easy there." He grunted. "No need to get carried away there, mate. Use your head before ya do this stuff."_

_Wally growled but said nothing._

_"Cause ya sure ain't gonna get anywhere by anything else." Bruce chuckled once more and shook Wally free. He began to walk off, followed close by Irwin and Steve. "See ya, squirt. We're goin' to the gulch."_

_Wally glared after them in fury. "I ain't a squirt." He whispered. "Don't EVER call me squirt."_

Break

"Oi'm very grateful to you all for agreeing ta help us out 'ere." Wally glanced about the table and slurped his shake. "Oi don't think I need to say we're kinda desperate."

"Obviously. Vy else vould you haf asked us to help?"

Wally paused and glared at Henrietta. "Look, I asked you to help 'cause last time we met, ya said you wanted to make up for some of the stuff you'd done."

"That's not my stake in this." A kid in dark sunglasses and a brown leather jacket spoke up. Wally didn't really know his name, he was one of Hoagie's friends. "I just hopped on this because you said it'd be the greatest thing since chili dogs."

Wally stopped. "What?"

"Well, that's not quite what she said." The Kid grinned at Kuki. "Something about Perfect Power Rainbow Monkey, but I got the gist. Plus… say, what was your name again, girl?"

"My name is Numbuh 3. And if you think this is some kind of GAME, then you…"

"She's right." Wally interrupted. Kuki had been acting rather strange lately, and he wasn't sure whether he liked it or not. "This here's a real bucket of dingos we're going to let loose. Oi need manpower, an' Oi ain't getting anything from the KND. So all I got is Sector W and you guys." He glared around. "Technically, I ain't supposed to do this, but with that idiot up there now, I don't really care."

"Never did like that whole nonsense with you guys." The Kid snorted. "Hoagie was always trying to get me to join, but no man, not me. I'm a real…"

"Vhat do you need us to do?" Henrietta interrupted him, ignoring the glare she was getting from the Kid.

"You guys…" Wally pointed around the table. "…are gonna help us search and watch the remaining treehouses, and when we find her, you're gonna help us take her down." He sat back. "That's what I'm asking, and that's what you're signing up for." He paused. "Now are ya in?"

Henrietta sniffed and inclined her head. The Kid in the jacket pushed down his glasses and grinned. "Sure."

"Great." Wally allowed himself a smirk.

"Enough talking, Numbuh 4." Kuki frowned at him. "Give them the stoopid thingies already."

Wally rolled his eyes and reached down into his pack. "Here." He said, passing out some sticks of deodorant. "These here are some of our communicators. Numbuh 3 configured them so they go straight ta me." He looked over at Kuki and she nodded. "If ya find anything, let me know."

"And if not?" The Kid raised his eyebrow.

"Meet here next week and I'll tell ya anything new." Wally assured him.

As the two disappeared, Wally heaved a sigh of relief. "Well, that's something, at least." He looked at Kuki. This should help us to keep an eye on the remaining treehouses."

"We could get in trouble." Kuki pointed out, arching her eyebrow.

"We'd get in trouble just for being here." Wally snorted. He pointed to a chubby teenager, sitting across from a rather bored-looking African American girl. "Wouldn't take much to say we're following old operatives around."

"Hey!" A voice spoke up. "Why didn't you guys call me?"

The two swung round to face the new arrival. "Tommy." Wally glared at him. "What the crud are you doing here?"

"I heard you needed help!" Tommy stated proudly. "And though…" he struck a pose. "THE TOMMY… works alone…" He stood again. "…I thought I could make an exception just this once." He grinned at them. "So what's it? What do I get to do?"

Wally was starting to nod when Kuki snorted. "You? Just stay out of our way. Don't see how you can help us."

"Hey!" Tommy put his hands on his hips. "I can help! I can distract enemies, and sneak into big compounds, and beat up all sorts of criminals, and…"

"This is a priority mission!" Kuki snapped at the boy. "We have no time for little boys who think they can handle these things!"

"Numbuh 3…"

"What!" Tommy drew himself up. "Okay, just for that, I'm not going to tell you the big important secret I learned this morning!"

Kuki rolled her eyes. "You couldn't have anything to tell us anyways." She stood. "C'mon, Numbuh 4. Let's go."

"You'll see!" Tommy called after them. "You'll see! Your Stupid Kids Next Door isn't so great! They'll betray you, and then you'll wish you listened to The Tommy!"

* * *

_"You ain't so great, ya cruddy idiot!" Wally glared up at Bruce, the two surrounded by curious first-graders. "You had this comin' fer a long time now, and Oi ain't gonna stand for it no more!"_

_"Yeah right, __**squirt**__." Bruce sneered. "You ain't gonna hit me. You're too chicken to, now that the teacher's gone!"_

_"Oh yeah? Well just watch me!" Wally swung at the bully, but Bruce's long arm came out and grabbed his arm._

"_Say, you hit your head this morning? I think you're an inch lower than you were yesterday." Smirking, Bruce aimed a punch at Wally, but the blonde ducked beneath it and came up into Bruce's belly._

"_Oof!" Bruce fell over, losing his grip on Wally, giving him the opportunity to leap onto the other boy. The first-graders scattered to a safer distance as the two began to scrabble and wrestle on the ground, dust flying each way._

_Eventually, Bruce threw Wally off and stood to his feet, growling. He was covered in scratches, and one of his eyes was looking a little puffy. "You cruddy little…"_

_Wally scrambled up also, looking not much better. He grinned, just a little, at Bruce's rage. "Aw, did I hurt ya after all?" He called, slowly backing up to the corner of the building, closer to the main lot. _

"_You're gonna pay for that." Bruce growled, standing to his feet. The first-graders stood fascinated, as the two faced each other. In the distance, Wally could hear the voices of some screaming for the teacher, for her to come._

"_Why don't ya make me, ya cruddy doofus?" Wally smirked, continuing to back up. He was nearly at the corner now. He would be out in plain view of the whole school._

"_Oh, I'm gonna." Bruce began to stride at him. "You're gonna be sorry. Don't matter how far ya run, fraidy cat."_

_Anger surged through Wally. He stopped, inches from the corner. "And if Oi'm the fraidy cat, how come you're the one standin' over there? C'mon over and we'll finish this."_

"_You gonna be sorry." Bruce was running now, and Wally stepped past the corner. "YOU'RE GONNA BE SORRY, YA LITTLE SHORTY!"_

_Wally felt the anger, saw his fist clench. He told himself to stay, to remember his plan. __**Not yet**__ , pleaded a voice. __**Just a little further, and then…**_

_And Wallabee Beetles completely ignored it and leapt at the older boy, just as Miss Ferguson came rushing around the corner._

* * *

"That leaves only two more." Wally frowned as he ticked off points on the map. "An' then just the Artic trainin' facility and the moonbase." He punched the wall in frustration. "This just _ain't_ gonna…"

"Numbuh 4!" Wally nearly jumped at the strident command. Numbuh 3 glared across her desk at his. "We don't have time for that stoopid stuff! Now haven't you gotten where they're hiding yet?

"Uh…" Wally winced under her gaze and ducked to his papers. "Not really, Kooks, no, but…"

"Don't call me Kooks!" Numbuh 3 shouted, annoyed.

"Uh… right Kooks." Wally licked his lips hurridly. "Look, it ain't easy to narrow this stuff down! We don't know how they're coming, or what direction, so how're we supposed to know where they come from?" He glanced up. "It's cruddy impossible! I'm doin' all I can to find out where they're gonna go…"

"That's NOT an excuse!" Kuki screamed back. "It doesn't matter where they're GOING next, it's where they go FROM! Otherwise…" Suddenly she snapped from fiery Amazon to pleading child. "…how're we supposed to save all those poooooor Rainbow Monkeys?"

"Right." Wally muttered. "Real important. How could I forget about that?"

"What was that?" The Amazon was back.

"Nuttin'" Wally answered hurriedly.

"Good!" Kuki's voice snapped. "Now, maybe if you checked the shipping patterns…"

"Already did it." Wally shook his head. "Nothing."

"Well, then, see if there's some way to triangulate their position using those…"

"Did that too." Wally grunted. "Nothing to use."

A huff of frustration. "What about the radar array from…"

"Hasn't picked up anything."

"Eeeergh!" A real groan of rage. "Well what if we use the sooper big observation bubble thingie to check…"

"No, no, NO!" Patience finally breaking, Wally slammed the table. "NO! I tell ya, Kooks, I've checked every cruddy thing on this cruddy moonbase, and I can't find a single cruddy thing!"

"Well check them again!" Kuki screamed at him. "I'm not leaving those Rainbow Monkeys behind! We need to…"

Wally rolled his eyes. "Would you SHUT up about your STOOPID Rainbow Monkeys! They have absolutely NOTHING…"

"STOP SAYING THAT!" Kuki screamed, and as Wally looked up, he noticed tears glimmering just on the edge of her eyes. "STOP SAYING THEY'RE STOOPID! THEY'RE NOT…" She broke down and collapsed into a huddle on her desk. "…They're not Stoopid... they're my friends…"

Unbidden, a memory came to Wally's mind, of a very similar exchange, at a festival… or an amusement park, he could not distinguish. He had not realized the importance of it then, but now, he could just barely see the motives that governed Numbuh Three.

"Oh, Kooks…" Wally sighed and rubbed his eyes. Pushing his chair back, he walked over to Kuki's desk and leaned over the trembling huddle of dark hair. "Oi didn't… Oi mean… Ah, just don't worry about it, okay? It… It's just been a bad time lately. We'll… uhm…. we'll get 'em back, don't worry."

A big eyed, tear-stained face glanced up at him through tangled black hair. "R—r—really?"

"Ummm…" Wally glanced about the room uncomfortably. He really hoped those cameras weren't working. "Of… of course we will! Don't fuss about it. Sandy even told me he might give us some reinforcements in a week or so." He tried a smile. "So see? We can do this. We just gotta figure it out."

Kuki blinked up at him, then, choking back a sniffle or two, offered a smile of her own. "And… and we'll get all the rainbow monkeys back?" She asked.

"Course we will." Wally looked a trifle uncomfortable. "Anyway, I'm sure she's not going to hurt them or anything. She likes them a lot herself, doesn't she?"

Kuki considered that a moment. "Yeah… I guess she does."

"So they'll be jest fine." Wally fought the urge to roll his eyes. "In the meantime…" he turned away abruptly. "We gotta figure out how to stop those cruddy teenagers." He slumped back into his desk. "There's just gotta be some way we haven't seen. What kinda data have you got?"

"Well…" Kuki rubbed her nose a little and began to thumb through the papers. "I have the shield analysis, the manifests, Fanny's psycho-profile, and… Oh!" She held up a paper triumphantly. "I have that list I was making of all the Rainbow Monkeys she's stolen!"

Wally groaned. "Kuki…"

"She's gotten nearly all of them!" Kuki added sorrowfully. "They're all prisoners, except for one or two last ones." She let out a sniffle. "Once she gets those…"

"Kuki, not that that's umm… not important or anything, but ain't there…"

Wally stopped suddenly. There was a long silence.

"Wait. What ones doesn't she have yet?"

* * *

_"Now what were ya thinking of, Wally dear?" His mother's voice was no longer bubbly, but sad, disappointed. "That was no way to handle things!"_

_"Yeah, ah know." Wally grunted, shifting the ice pack. "Ah shoulda followed up with a right hook, and then catch him one under…"_

_"Wally!" His mother stopped him with a sorrowful look. "That's not what Oi meant! You should've told one of the teachers about it, not just go around smashing people! That's not a way to solve anything. You need to tell your teachers!"_

_"Yeah, be all sissy." Wally grumbled._

_His mother did not seem to hear. "You can't just go around smashing people, Wallabee. You get into trouble that way. You need to think about this stuff before you go around hitting things!"_

_"Hmmph." Wally folded his arms and stared sullenly at the door. Bruce and his being so cruddy tall. The big oaf had just come on top of him and virtually smothered him. He had a bloody nose and a sprained ankle, which almost made up for Wally's black eye, skinned knee, and half-dozen bruises. But Bruce had still won, and that was all that mattered._

_"Now Wally." With her hand, his mother turned his head around to face her. "Listen to Mum here. You're going to have to be more polite, with things like this happening. Why, you know your dad's looking at getting a new job, and if we move, you'll have to be nice to the kids there, so they won't…"_

_It was gone. All gone. He'd never have the power again. They'd never let him, after seeing how weak he was._

_"Wally? Do you hear your mum? If we go someplace else, you're going to have to behave differently."_

_Wally just looked at her._

* * *

"So did you _finally_ get all of those STOOPID Rainbow Monkeys?" Harvey glared at the ceiling of the craft.

An irritated Fanny turned from the corner, where she and Sally—Numbuh 12—were surveying their latest prize. "We never leave a Rainbow Monkey behind! NEVAH! And especially…" she added brightly as she turned back to the monstrous stuffed creature filling the back of the ship. "…when it's the Hugely Huggable Happiness Rainbow Monkey!"

"Looks like King Kong." Harvey snorted.

"Oh, forget him." Sally turned back. "So is this it, Fanny? Do we have a complete collection now?"

"Ah think so." Fanny looked over the list in her hand. "We have the Precious Pajama Rainbow Monkey, the Impossible Imagination Rainbow Monkey, the Road Rage Rainbow Monkey, the Insanely Inane Rainbow…"

Harvey groaned and pressed his hands to his head.

"…and now him!" Fanny threw the list away and gave Sally a wide, evil grin. "Ah told ya! Ah told ya we could get 'em all without tha' stoopid BOY catchin' on to us!"

"We never did find that 'package' you wanted." Sally looked over at her.

"Eh." Fanny waved it off. "I dinnae know if it even really exists. At least we got everything done that our boss wanted us to." She checked the screen. "'Ey!" She screamed. "You! Navigator! How far we out from the base!"

"I have a name, you know." Harvey rolled his eyes.

Fanny glared at him. "HOW FAR ARE WE!?"

"Excuuuuse me!" Harvey glared right back. "We're twenty miles out, okay? Bout another minute. Geez."

"Hmmmph." Fanny eyed him. "Well then, we best get our things in readiness to land."

"Guess so." Sally hopped over and strapped herself in. "Lessee… Receiving signal verification, turning on reverse thrusters, entering sooper-secret eleventy-billion passcode… Energy field deactivated!"

"Prepare fer landing!" Fanny screamed.

Engines screaming and wings flailing, the SCAMPER zoomed toward the small island. In the side of the mountain, a slit appeared and widened to form a door. The small ship shot inside and the door closed. Several other ninjas came forward as the ship coasted to a stop inside the cargo bay.

"Why does our hideout have to be at Rainbow Monkey Island?" Harvey scoffed as he jumped out. "It's totally obvious. Even that stoopid Numbuh 4 should have picked up on this."

"Aw, cork it Harvey." Sally grunted as she and Fanny pushed the enormous stuffed creature out into the landing area. "Jeez, Fanny, this thing is heavy." She turned back to Harvey. "It's good because it's so obvious. Nobody thinks of it."

"Yeah!" Fanny sneered, wiping the sweat from her face. "You're jest jealous cause ye couldn't think of it yourself, ya stoopid boy. Those idiots won't ever find us here. We're perfectly safe."

And the belly of the Hugely Huggable Happiness Rainbow Monkey exploded, releasing fabric, stuffing, and KND operatives.

* * *

_"Ain't it exciting, little Wally?" His father beamed down. "Your own 'old man', getting a job in the 'U-night-ted States'? Eh? Ain't that something?"_

_"Now then dear." His mother remonstrated. She looked sorta fat. Wally noted. It must be all that ice cream she'd been eating. "Leave the poor boy alone! He only just got on here a few minutes ago, and it's his first time flying."_

_Indeed it was. Wally stared out the window with interest. He didn't understand how they were that high up, and he didn't much care, but he did wonder who had all the power to move them there._

_"Now Wally." His mother turned on him. "Yo're goin' to a new school when we gets to America, and I don't want to hear about anymore roughhousing. If anymore of those big nasty boys pick on you, just tell a teacher." She chucked his cheek. "You're just a little boy, you aren't made to get in fights like that!"_

_Wally grumbled and muttered something which his mother did not catch._

_"There's a dear!" She smiled delightedly. "And don't worry, Oi'm sure the boys in America will be much nicer than those mean ones back home._

_Wally's head rose. That was true. In Austraulia, he had been the weak shortling, but perhaps, in America, boys were much shorter, and much weaker. Perhaps he could lead again, perhaps…_

_"Ichabod! Come back here!" A voice called out, and a tall, lank six-year old groaned and trotted to the rear._

_…Or perhaps not…_

* * *

"Get in there! Get in there!" Wally shouted amidst the cannon roar. "We got her this time, we got her!

"Cool…."

"Fight now, admire later!" Sonya leapt out, gun at the ready. "We need to keep them here toward reinforcements arrive!"

"They're on their way!" Wally cried as he leapt at Fanny. "Just soften them up a little!"

Sector W leapt into action, attacking the bewildered ninjas. Several fell before they even could activate their armor. Another two or three were knocked out cold by quick yo-yo work. And Shaunie, a fighter after his sister, eliminated another four before Harvey shot him in the back and he dropped to the floor.

"You two! Get 'im!" Wally shouted. He saw Lee and Sonya rush at ex-Numbuh 363, weapons at the ready, and that was all he had before Fanny was upon him.

"Finally figured it out, didn't ya, Numbuh 4!" She sneered. "So much for that deal ah had. Ya wasn't supposed to be able to track us anyway. Still," she squeezed off half-a-dozen lipstick shells. "This's just as well. Didja think of this all by yourself?"

"Had some help." Wally grunted, mustard spraying every which way. "But mostly, yeah." Off to the left, he saw a crowd of ninjas making for a hole in the wall (doubtless some kind of escape tunnel.). "Couldn't figure any way to find the base, so I figured I had to get you to take me there."

"OoooOOH!" Smirking, Fanny weaved through his rain of fire. "Alwus with the disguises, aren't ya! Coward like ye can't face up to anything, can ya?"

Only half-listening, Wally saw the tunnel collapse and the ninjas recoil as Henrietta came tumbling out, tommy-gun at the ready. "Oi don't know bout that." He answered, flipping back and readying himself. "But they seems the best way to get the enemy to tell ya what ya can't figger out yourself."

"Thinking never was a BOY's strong point." Fanny rushed at him, missed, and recovered. "Specially YOURS." There was a roaring in the background as a spare aircraft lifted from the ground.

Wally flipped back as the ship flew past, "Mebbe not." He glanced out after the departing ship and grinned as another aircraft swooped in and blasted it apart. "But Oi'm learning." He ducked suddenly to avoid Fanny's blast. "Oi found you, didn't I?"

Fanny's eyes widened in anger. "Luck." She hissed. "Pure luck. You're too STOOPID of a STOOPID boy to trick me with a STOOPID trick like that!" Her rocket boots roared and she swept up to the ceiling, raining down shots at him from above. "Besides…" She smiled suddenly. "You ain't got us yet."

Wally felt the ground shake under his feet as an enormous rumble filled the air. He could see Sonya glance around uncertainly. He stumbled back, staring disbelievingly as the pavement cracked and heaved upward. Slowly, surely, an enormous mech lumbered upward, its bulk nearly filling the hangar. Rockets sprouted from its shoulders, lasers from its arms. From the cockpit, Sally waved.

"Ha!" Fanny grinned. "Whaddaya say to that, BOY?"

Wally stared. "It's… pink."

"What?"

"It's… pink!"

"Yeah, so?"

"It's PINK! What kinda cruddy mech is colored Pink? And it looks like a stoopid Monkey!"

"Shaddup!" Fanny screamed. "It's the Super Saiyan Sailor Monkey Mech!"

"It's pink!"

"That DOES it!" Fanny turned to Sally. "Get him!"

But before Sally could even move, the ceiling collapsed, and an enormous white bunny rabbit crashed into the Mech. The hangar rocked with the explosion.

Wally grinned. "Great timing, Kooks."

Fanny was shaking with rage. "N… n… NO!" She screamed. "You can't win! I won't let you!" Her jets roared into life, and she shot at Wally.

Wally dashed for the exit, glancing over his shoulder. Closer, closer… he glanced at Kuki, lying on the floor dazed. She gave him a limp wave.

"Don't run, ye chicken!" Fanny was still coming. "I'll rip yeh apart with me bare hands!"

Wally felt a surge of anger. Not yet, he told himself, not yet…

Wally dashed out the hangar door and stopped just before he fell over the edge. He was standing on a narrow ledge apparently used as a helicopter pad. His hand went to his side. Far in the back, he saw Harvey knock Sonya down to the ground.

"You'll pay for this." Fanny was really close now, zooming at him, at the open hangar door. "YOU'LL PAY FER THIS, YA STOOPID SHORTY!"

Wally felt the anger, saw his fist clench. He told himself to stay, to remember his plan. **Not yet** , pleaded a voice. **Just a little further, and then…**

And Wally stood stock still as Fanny rushed headlong into the hangar door's energy field.

* * *

_The Kids in America were not shorter, or weaker, or even dumber; Wally decided, as he lay in a heap on the recess pavement._

_"Jeez, kid." Came a voice, as an arm came out and helped him to his feet. "Why'd ya go and pick a fight with Jerry like that?"_

_Wally stood, spat out some blood. "He called me a shorty."_

_"Ummm…" The other looked him over. "Don't take this the wrong way, but… you are short."_

_"Oi am NOT!"_

_"Okay, okay!" The kid held his hands out placatingly. "So you're not short. And I'm not fat."_

_Wally frowned. "Yeah, you are."_

_"Exactly." _

_Wally puzzled over this a moment before giving it up._

_"What were you thinking, anyway?" The other arched his eyebrow. "That was a pretty dumb thing to do, just march up to him and call him an idiot."_

_"He IS an idiot."_

_"Duh." The other rolled his eyes. "But you don't tell him that. Especially while you're standing next to him, and you're by yourself. At the very least you should've had some kind of plan."_

_Wally pushed the hair from his eyes and glared at the chubby boy in a pilot's cap. "Aw, fergit cruddy plans. They never work."_

_"Nonsense!" Came a new voice, and a boy wearing sunglasses came up. "A Plan always works, so long as it's a good plan, and everybody follows it correctly."_

_"Oh yeah?" Wally sneered. "And what if they don't work?"_

_"Well then." The sunglasses considered. "You haven't followed the plan correctly. But if that's the case, then you just need to come up with a new one."_

_Wally groaned and shook his head._

_"That's what we have to do." Chubby boy shrugged. "If Numbuh 1 gives us a plan, we just follow it. If KND tells us to attack a place, we attack it. If they tell us to get something, we get it. If they tell us to to smash stuff…"_

_Wally's head came up. "Smash stuff?"_

* * *

"Wow, Numbuh 4, great plan!" Numbuh 3, quite back to her old self, tightened the sling around Wally's arm. "But how'd you know that field was there?"

"They're on all the bases, Kooks." Wally winced as he adjusted his arm in the sling. "Ah figured if they were using KND technology, mebbe they had one there. And if they did, I figured I could turn it on with the R.E.M.O.T.E. thing ya gave me."

"Oh!" Kuki's voice paused in thought. "Wow, that's smart." She looked sorrowfully back at the enormous stuffed monkey. "Too bad we couldn't stop Numbuh 86 from destroying the Rainbow Monkey."

"Huh?" Wally glanced up. "Oh, yeah! The Hugely Huggable…" Wally scratched his head. "Um… Yeah, too bad about him. That was… uh… Fanny. Yeah." Wally coughed, looking around. Lee was helping Sonya to her feet. Harvey, dazed, lay on the ground, a yo-yo wrapped about his ankles. "So we win?"

"Uh-huh!" Kuki nodded. "We packed up Sally and Fanny already, and I'm gonna bring Harvey to the ship so we can all head up to the moonbase." An odd look came over her face. "You suuuuure you don't wanna come with us?"

"Nah." Wally grinned at the bright little Asian. "I wanna look around this place some more before the tech boys get here. You guys have fun."

Kuki shrugged and bounced away.

As the SCAMPER sailed away, Wally let out a sigh of relief, then turned to the blast door. Opening it did not take long, and from there it was simply a question of exploration. He wandered through countless hallways and equipment rooms, computer centers and sensor arrays, officers quarters and rainbow-monkey wonderlands. Fanny appeared to have set up a quite extensive base.

Wally frowned. How could have Fanny built all this? He'd need the tech boys to figure it out. Wally checked his watch. Boy, were they late.

Stopping in front of a large computer screen, Wally examined it carefully. KND-tech, of course, with teenage enhancements. He pressed a button and it jumped into life.

Wally's eyes narrowed suddenly. The computer had gone straight to the KND network. _They must have been watching us the entire time._ He realized. _That's how they kept evading us. But how'd they get the access…_

Suddenly the screen went dark and the KND logo appeared. Sandy's pimply face floated into focus. "Kids Next Door!" He called. "This is a General Alert going out to all operatives. There have been some startling developments in the Treehouse crisis."

Wally grinned and sat back. This should be good.

"Head of Decommissioning Numbuh 451 shall elaborate." Sandy's face disappeared and Mushi came onscreen, smiling and waving. "Hey Everybody!" She said, putting on her serious face. "The Treehouse Conspiracy has been exposed, and those responsible taken into custody." She pronounced the last word carefully, sounding it out. "We will try them on charges of treason, destruction of Kids Next Door Property, releasing sooper secret material outside the KND, and consorting with the decommissioned operatives, Numbuhs 2 and 5."

Wally blinked. What?

Beside Mushi's talking face, another window popped up--Kuki's ID profile, listing her name, age, serial numbuh, talents, preferences, and favorite Rainbow Monkey. Wally had seen it a hundred times.

The "ENEMY" designation was completely new, and so was the "CAPTURED" banner plastered across the front.

"The traitors," Mushi continued, as Wally watched the ID's of Sonya, Lee, and Shauny appear onscreen. "were responsible for the destruction of forty-five treehouses, and appear to have plotted to assassinate the Soopreme Leader. They also invented a fictious story involving a known decommisioned operative." Mushi stopped to give a sinister smile at the screen. "They shall be held at the Moonbase Deep Isolation prison until their trial."

Wally stared at the screen, fists clenched, eyes straining. He could hear the blood throbbing in his temples.

"The mastermind…" Wally's profile came up, "Numbuh 4, formerly of Sector V, is still at large. Any KND operatives who come into contact with him are to place him under arrest at once."

The door behind Wally burst open as hundreds of KND Elite troopers poured in.

* * *

**A/N:** I AM THE KING OF PROCRASTINATORS! ALL HAIL ME!

Oh, and review too, please. I love reviews. They make me update faster. Seriously.

Things have been getting in the way recently, what with college and homework and life in general. My laziness hasn't helped either, but we won't discuss it. Anyway, I can tell you I'm excited about the next couple chapters, so hopefully I should get them fairly quickly. And hopefully also they will be much, much shorter than this one. Aagh.

Wally and Kuki are really, REALLY hard. Not just cause I don't know them very well, but also because they have split personalities, and because they obviously have changed by INTERVIEWS. So part of what I have to do is explain that. Kuki was especially hard, because her bubbliness is trademark, and if she's in her 'no-nonsense' mode, she sounds more like some Amazon-government-director.

Anyway. Again, please review.


	13. Profiling

_I'm not going to tell you about Numbuh 4's chase. Everyone knows about THAT, it's been made into at least three books, four movies, and one video game. It's a fascinating story, going across nations and involving all sorts of people, but it's far too well known. Everyone's heard of Numbuh 4's daring dash across the world, dodging his pursuers, eluding the network, seeking allies wherever he could. _

_It's perhaps the greatest rogue agent story ever, but I'm not writing this to tell stories everyone already knows. I'm telling the stories no one does. And though everyone knows about the troubles of Numbuh 4, very few have heard about the troubles of Numbuh 3. Not surprising, I suppose. There's not much drama to a person sitting in a cell. And, till recently, that's all we thought she did._

_Well, we know better now, and it's time to add to the history books. I don't suppose you know yet, but recently, one of the prisoners discovered some faint writing on the floor of his cell. From studies, it appears to be a diary of sorts, recording a former prisoner's time in the cell._

_We can't verify it was Numbuh 3, though the tube is the same one she occupied. I can't pretend this account is definitive, all we have is tapes from recorders, witness accounts, and other various evidence. But if it is true, as I believe, then perhaps Numbuh 3 had more to do with the Reworking than anyone. Without her, we would have never been able to turn the KND on its head and rebuild anew. We should have never managed to save it from destruction._

_So it's time to reckon up accounts, and give credit where credit is due. For years you've been hearing the story of Numbuh 4. Listen now to the diary of Numbuh 3._


	14. Plans

Everyone thinks I'm the airhead. The brainless one, who's never focused on what's going on. They think I don't care about anything important, and that they don't really need to worry about what I can do.

Those stupid people. They don't know, they don't even guess what I can do if I put my mind to it. Every so often they get a little look, like when something really, really important is happening, and I get all mad and serious. Then they know what I can do. But most of the time, they forget, and that's a dangerous thing to do, because I can be plenty dangerous when I want to be.

Take now, for instance. My bratty sister has me and all the others locked up in these solitary cells of the moon base(or at least she has the others locked up there. I'm in a tube in the command room), and she's currently chasing down Wally, my last friend.

I used to have lots of friends. Not real ones, but they were still fun. And then I got even more, some who were even real, and I played with them all the time. In fact, the real ones were so much fun, I began to forget the others, and I think I lost them. I've been trying to play with them now, my old imaginary friends, but it doesn't work. I know they're fake, and they're mad with me for forgetting about them.

That's really too bad, because right now they're all I have. All my real friends are gone. Some of them are in prison, some of them are running away from prison, some of them are in another galaxy by now, and most of them don't even remember me. I don't even really have a family anymore.

"Pretty funny, huh sis?" My little sister grins up at me from behind the glass. I don't even bother to flare up and smash against the glass like I used to. I just sit, slumped in this narrow glass tube, turtleneck draped about me and over my legs, and just look at her. I don't even glare, I learned how much she likes that.

It must be working, because she seems a little disappointed, but she keeps on all the same. "I mean, you guys totally never suspected, did you? You were looking through all the files and all the manifests and not finding anything, and it never occurred to you it was because we kept deleting them or turning them off or whatever." She snickers. "And for some reason you never wondered how they got all this technology they were using either. I mean, boy, you guys were stooooopid."

I don't say anything. She's right, but I'm not going to show her that.

"It was even funnier," she giggles, caught up in glee. "even funnier when you came in here with your SCAMPER and came bouncing out so happy, ready to hand over Fanny and the others. And then when you got surrounded and arrested all at once." Her giggle becomes a bubbly laugh. "The look on your face! Oh, I wish you could've seen it."

That does it. She needs to be put down. "Too bad you didn't manage to get Numbuh 4."

Ha. I've hit a nerve there. Her smile fades, and she folds her arm in a pout. "Those stoopid elite troopers. Twenty of them, and they can't catch one stupid operative. It's not fair. He knew they were coming!"

"That's your fault. You shouldn't have made the broadcast." I arch an eyebrow, trying not to show how much I'm enjoying this.

She glares at me. She knows I'm right, but like me, she won't admit it. She shouldn't have made the announcement, shouldn't have warned Wally. But she had won, and she was WAY too excited. She was proud, and she didn't think Wally could do anything anyway.

Proud, Excited, and Foolish. Same mistakes I made with her

I was too excited about defeating Fanny and rescuing the Rainbow Monkeys, I didn't wait to check with other sectors, or send on the news to anywhere else. I was too proud, I didn't think there was anything else to do.

And I underestimated her. I didn't think my little sister had it in her. She seemed silly, airheaded, and… well, childish.

She's still pouting about my last comment. "…I told Fanny not to leave that thing on. Anyway, if I hadn't made the announcement, he might have told someone..." Her smile is back as she thinks about it. "...and then what would we have done?"

I don't answer. She'll say more if she doesn't think I'm listening.

"I mean, I suppose we could've come up with SOMETHING." She giggles and twirls around. "We've been doing fine so far, haven't we? I mean, we made up the stuff about the decommissioning... and the scanners… and the castles even, but nobody suspected us! And then we made up the stuff about you guys." She grins. "Which worked out really well, by the way, because we were wondering how we were going to get rid of the Fanny story. You guys weren't supposed to discover that—well…" She frowns. "Technically, you weren't supposed to discover any of this… but it's more fun this way."

I still don't answer. I stare at the glass, not at her, but even so I can see her frown. Mushi hates to be ignored.

"We managed to catch Numbuh 4, by the way."

That almost breaks me, but fortunately my mind kicks in and holds me in place. If they had caught Numbuh 4, I wouldn't even be here. I'd be in a decommissioning chamber, getting my brain wiped with him and the rest of Sector W. They don't have him. They can't.

"It was pretty easy, actually." Mushi cocks her head indifferently. "He was trying to break into the undersea lab, apparently to grab some 'clam cannon' that was under construction."

Now I know she's lying, and I don't even have to fake disinterest. Wally can't swim, or at least, doesn't think he can. Not even he knows quite what he can do.

Glancing, she sees I'm not buying it and frowns. "Fine then." She walks back to the door and yells back. "We'll get him, you big meany! He can't be that hard to catch! I know just what to do!"

No, she doesn't. She doesn't really know Wally, so she won't be able to trap him. She just thinks she can, because she's still proud and excited, and still doesn't think Wally can do anything.

Me, on the other hand… I know my sister. And I know exactly how to trap her.

* * *

_"So… why did you say the thing was going to Pluto, Numbuh 4?"_

_"Cause that was the plan, duh! They got all the cruddy girls to get up there, and then they were gonna blast 'em all out to Pluto! That way they wouldn't ever be able to get back."_

_"But if you knew that, why'd you stay on board?"_

_"Oi didn't have time to jump out! The cruddy ship was lifting off!"_

_"Ohhhhhhh… well that explains why you ended up not going. Cause see, after you said that, and stayed on, I thought, you know, that you were going. But then when you came back down…"_

_"Yeah, yeah, Oi get the idea. Well, Oi didn't exactly wanna go to Pluto."_

_"Well why did you go?"_

_"Oi… Ah, never mind."_

_"How'd you know about that, anyway?"_

_"Well see, Mr Boss... uh..."_

_--silence--_

"_Uh… no reason. Oi just… yeah. Oi found out about it. Yeah."_

_"Oh! Well… how'd you find it out?"_

_"Uh…"_

_"Oh, wait, I know, silly! You found it out because you're so smart, that's why!"_

_"Well, that ain't really…"_

_"No? Well then how did you figure it out?"_

_"Ummmm…"--pause--_"_You know what, you're right. That was it."_

* * *

There's been a sudden commotion, and all the technicians are running to and fro with messages. Sandy is at the top, looking bored, and my little sister is screaming commands left and right. "Get me a profiling! A lock on it! Call in all operatives we have in the area!"

I manage to stifle a grin. It's not hard to guess what the problem is.

"Why didn't we know about this Joe Balooka character before?" She's down on the ground level, griping with an unfortunate orderly.

"He wasn't listed on Numbuh 4's list of probable allies." The orderly tries to explain. "He had no connection…"

"Well, he sure does now!" She yells at him. "This kid must've been hiding him for days… who knows what Numbuh 4 told him?" She turns. "Why don't we have him under arrest yet? Maybe he can tell us where that stoopid boy went."

Another unfortunate orderly looks around for help. "He… ummm…. Ah…." He swallows and looks up. "He seems to have disappeared."

"WHAT!?" My sister is livid. I really can't help smirking now. She underestimated him. I knew she would. No one knows how smart Wally can be when he tries. "Whaddaya mean, he disappeared?"

"He's just vanished, ma'am. He helped Numbuh 4 break into that treehouse we had in the area, and then just…" the orderly gestures. "We lost everything on him."

Mushi throws a clipboard at him, accompanied with some indistinct raging noises. She takes a few moments to calm down, and then she says. "All right. Fine, take a look on where he might go. Look at stuff he likes to do, stuff his parents would make him do, stuff that might get him to come where we want him to, look at any **STUFF** we have on this guy."

Goals. Of course, very smart, sister, but quite hopeless. That might've worked before… well, **before**. Before he and I stopped being just members, obsessed with little idiotic things, and really became operatives. Before Nigel left and made us work things out ourselves. Before Hoagie and Abby left, and made me and Wally depend entirely on each other.

Before you kidnapped me, and completely changed the field.

Wally's goals won't be anything like they would have been two months ago, or even two weeks ago.

Just like mine aren't. Two weeks ago, all I cared about was a missing collection of stuffed animals. That was my biggest goal, and the only real priority I had. Oh, was I stupid. Stupid Rainbow Monkeys… a lot of good they're doing me in here. I should've focused on her, or even on the KND, or anything but them. It's because of that that I'm stuck in this tube, and because of that that Wally's running.

But I won't make that mistake again. I can't. Reality's been thrust upon me, and I need to deal with it. I don't have time to protect a bunch of imaginary friends, not when a real one out there needs my help. Not when the last real friend I have is the last real hope I have to defeat my sister.

Wally's coming, I know. I just need to get everything ready for him.

* * *

_"Yay! Mission done! We can get back in time to have things ready for Tommy's graduation!"_

_"Bout time we got the cruddy code module back. Those delightful dorks took a whupping, but it'll be a while before they think to mess with us again. Haha!"_

_"Oh yeah! We TOTALLY took them by surprise, Numbuh 4! That was fun!"_

_"That cruddy Numbuh 12 too… 'bout time we showed her to betray the KND. Hah! Cruddy girl. Serves her right."_

_"Ohhh… Poor Numbuh 12… She must feel soooo terrible about making Numbuh 86 feel so bad! I wonder if I should send her a Feel-Better Rainbow Monkey? Yeah, I'll do that. What about you Numbuh 4? Do you want to send her a Rainbow Monkey TOO?"_

_"What? No way!"_

_"I'll send her a Heart of Happiness Rainbow Monkey for you, okay? After all, you're a special friend now, since you went to the Slumber Party with her."_

_"Numbuh 4? What is Numbuh 3 talking about?"_

_"Uh…. Nothing! Nothin' important, Numbuh 1! Don't worry about it! Jest a little… yeah. It's nothing to worry about Numbuh 3's jest talking about a… a game we was playing! Yeah…"_

_"Huh? But I said…"_

_"Shhush! And I am NOT sending Numbuh 12 some cruddy Rainbow Monkey!"_

_--sigh—"Okaaaay. Fine. "_

_"I was just at that cruddy slumber party cause of the cruddy code module! Got nothing to do with any cruddy girl."_

_"Oh! Well, how'd you know it was about the Code Module? I just thought it was a slumber party!"_

_"I uh… I guessed… I mean I thought… I mean I knew! I jest knew!"_

_"Wow! You're smart Numbuh 4!"_

_"Yeah… right…"_

_--silence—_

_"Say, Numbuh 4, you still went to the slumber party."_

_"So?"_

_"So you're part of the special friends slumber party sisterhood!"_

_"What? Ah, crud no!"_

_"And that means you and I are special friends too! Isn't that wonderful, Numbuh 4?"_

_--grooooooan--_

* * *

"ANOTHER short circuit in the central Computuhmabob?" I hear my sister's voice echo in disbelief. "That's the fourth this month! Haven't you tracked down the problem yet?"

_I doubt it._ I smile to myself

"No, mistress Mushi, we are unable to pinpoint any common cause." Numbuh 8-bit is nervous, and it shows. "Unfortunately, we are hampered by a lack of knowledge about the system, it seems to have been…"

"Don't tell me about the system!" Mushi screams. "Tell me about how you're going to fix it! We can't keep having technical failures like this! Not when we're busy tracking down a Level-9 fugitive! Now get back in there and FIX it this time!"

The poor operative ducks out of sight, and Mushi turns away, grumbling. She catches sight of me and brightens suddenly.

Oh boy. Here we go again.

"Hey, sis." She snickers, sauntering up to the tube. "Enjoying yourself, I hope? Say, you know, I think I finally figured out how to trap that boyfriend of yours."

Boyfriend? Huh?

"Oh yeah, its simple." She grins again, and I realize I've let my surprise show. "Really can't think why I didn't think of it before. See…" Here she leans in close and taps the glass like I'm some goldfish. "…I was keeping you guys all in prison so I could decommission you people all together, just cause it'd be more fun."

Typical. Little airhead.

"But then I thought…" She puts her hand on her chin, trying to look thoughtful, and failing very badly. "Why put it off? You guys are a security risk anyway. I should just take care of it. And _then_ I got a really brilliant idea."

She leans forward, beaming at my irresponsive face. "Suppose I planned your decommissioning. And then I announced it over the internet. Kinda strange, I know, but you're a most wanted person. Now, if Numbuh 4 saw that, he'd go all 'ooooh nooooo!' and run right over here to rescue you guys. And then…" She skips and does a little turn. "…then, we'd be ready for him and we could just capture him, and then we could just decommission you all together, like we planned before!" She squeals and claps her hands. "Won't that be fun?"

She's crazy. That won't work. Wally's on the run now, he's doing everything he can to stay OUT of her clutches, he won't fall for such an obvious trick as that.

Will he?

Too late I realize I've let my face show what I'm thinking, and Mushi laughs. "It's a great plan, isn't it? I mean, he's all by himself, so he can't be too hard to take down. And he's not the most subtle person, so it's not like stealth will be an issue."

"He's managed to hide from **you**."

Hah. That makes up for letting down my guard. I've just struck down one of her main points, and she growls at me. "It's not quite so easy to get into the moonbase, you know. Especially without any help…"

"Ma'am!" The door bursts open and in comes another technician. "Numbuh 4 just popped up in Texas! He and some 'Lasso Lass' villain just stole all the archives from Sector Amish!" He frowns at the sheet. "Not that there were many…"

"Ma'am!" The technician from earlier comes in. "There was another short in the Central…"

I allow myself a small smile as she turns away, groaning in frustration. You're clever, my sister, but you're too proud. You think you know everything, and you think nobody can stop you, and you think no one can see through your plans. And you think I can't do anything while I'm stuck in this tube.

Wrong on all counts, little sister.

I nod at a red light I see in the ventilator shaft, and it disappears. Then I turn my gaze down, just as she turns to glare at me. She didn't see me look, she still doesn't know. But I see her, and I know everything she's planning. I have an advantage, even if she doesn't think so. _Especially_ because she doesn't think so.

And Wally has an advantage over her too. She keeps thinking he's dumb. Over the last week, she's been continually learning how smart he really is, and yet still she thinks he'll be dumb enough to try and come rescue me. He'd never do that.

Would he?

* * *

_"Hey Numbuh 4? Have you seen that one Present of mine? You know, the fries you gave me? I can't find them anywhere!"_

_"Uh…. No, I haven't, Kooks. Sorry."_

_"Oh. Okay. Say, what are you eating, anyway?"_

_"Ummmm…. Potato Chips?"_

_"Oh cool! I want some too! Where'd you get them?"_

_"The… uh… the cupboard. Yeah. But they're all… uh… gone. Yeah. They're gone now."_

_"Awww… rats. Well, I guess I'll have to find something else then. You know, maybe Hungry for Happiness Rainbow Monkey ate those fries! He's been looking a little less plump lately."_

_--nervous laugh-- "Oh, yeah, them Happy Hungriness things sure are tricky."_

_"Say, why did you decide to come in and give them to me just then? You know, while I was all… grem-lim-y. I mean, I KNOW you were going to give them to me later ANYWAYS, but why'd you do it right then? Numbuh 1 said I looked really scary."_

_"Uh… well, um… You were kinda crazy… we thought… Uh…." --pause—"You… you seemed really upset. Yeah. And I thought it might make you… um… you know… feel better."_

_"Awwwww! That's so ADORABLE Wally! And you knew right away I was upset? Even though I didn't say anything?"_

_"Well… uh… it was kinda obvious... with the flames and the…"_

_"Oh WOW, Numbuh 4, you're REALLY good at telling what people are thinking! I mean, I do that around my mom and dad all the time, and they don't even notice!"_

_"Uhmmm… Really?"_

_"Oh yeah! You must really be good at telling what people are thinking!"_

_"Uh, well…"_

_"Well, anyways, I gotta find that PRESENT you gave me. I'll have to ask Hungry for Happiness…"_

_"Uh… wait Numbuh 3. I… uh… I got something for ya."_

_"Huh? But you already got me something, silly!"_

_"Uh… well, since ya lost that, here's, uh… yeah… this!"_

_--delighted shriek—"Oh WOW! A Secret Surprise Santa Rainbow Monkey! Oh WOW! Where'd you find one? They're really, really hard to get! Mom and Dad have been trying to get me one for Christmas, but they couldn't manage to… Oh wow, THANKS, Numbuh 4!"_

_"Uh… you're welcome?"_

_"Where'd you get this?"_

_"Oh, it was a present. From… Ah… From… From Santa. Yeah. Asked him for it and he gave me one. It was meant as a present."_

_"Wow, that was SMART!"_

* * *

I hear Sandy's voice long before I see him or Mushi. "Pretty cool idea, huh? And see, we call it the 'Serfs Next Door' because the Acronyms make that…"

"Yeah, yeah, SND." Mushi sounds peeved. Must have something to do with that explosion earlier. Three within the last four days, and she still doesn't suspect anything. "Yeah, that's a great idea. Hey, how're the search parties on Numbuh 4 coming."

"Hmmm?" Sandy comes through the doors, Mushi at his side. Yup, she's peeved. "Oh, fine, fine. I put the Japanese KND on it. They'll take care of it."

"Great." Mushi sighs, rolling her eyes. Sandy seems completely oblivious. Ha, and she says I've got the stupid…

I stop that thought. Wally's not my boyfriend.

"Hey sis!" She walks up to me, grinning. These last few visits, she hasn't been bothered by my non-responsive face. She's so sure her plan will work she doesn't even care.

Arrogance. A weakness. One I will exploit.

"So, sis." She states leisurely, leaning against the command console. "How ya doing? Looking forward to your decommissioning tomorrow?" She smirks. "You should. I mean, it's gonna be on all the networks. Not many people of course… need top security, you know. But still a pretty big deal."

I don't even glare. The decommissioning only means my work needs to be done that much sooner. After my memory's wiped, I won't be able to help Wally. And Wally must stop Mushi, because I can't. But he will. I'll see to it. And even if she never knows, it will be me that's beaten her.

"Such a pity, really." Mushi muses at me. "I wanted it to be a big celebration. Y'know, streamers, confetti, all that stuff. But I guess I'll have to make do. Anyway, it'll be fun to trap him and watch the expression on his face." She giggles. "He probably thinks he's just gonna run in here, guns blazing, and save you." She grins up at me. "Should be fun."

My face doesn't change in the slightest. There are so many flaws in that plan I don't even want to think of them. And they don't really matter, in any case. I suppose I should be worried about my decommissioning, but it doesn't seem real. Nothing does, except defeating my sister.

My sister frowns. She's bored again, I can see, and she turns to leave. "Fine." She says, walking away. "We'll be here bright and early to take you straight to the chamber with your friends, and then we can get to watching your boyfriend get captured."

The door shuts, and the lights click off. My head comes up, now it's time for the main event.

The red light appears in the vent, and I nod to it. The cover pops free, letting a dark form slink out. It creeps over the walls and slides under the motion detectors. I smile. My baby's still as good as I remember

He comes right up to my tube, sniffing the controls, and cocks an eyebrow at me.

I shake my head. "Too obvious." I say. "Did you destroy the parts of the Computermabob?"

There's a glint of a grin and a nod.

"Good." I tell him. "Now, there's only one more thing. Check through the sensor array, and mess it up. But not so they notice. Just change it so whatever they see isn't where they think it is."

He nods and moves away. "and Numbuh 6!" I call after him. "Destroy the defense communication lines."

Bradley shoots a knowing look at me and clambers back up the wall, his long skunk tail disappearing into the darkness.

With a sigh I sink back into my unresponsive mode. That's that. Nothing to do now except wait. Don't know why I told him to mess up the sensors and defenses, it's not like Wally's actually going to come tomorrow. Still, it'll mess with Mushi's head a little.

Mushi underestimates Wally, and she underestimates me. She looks at what we were back when the sector was around, and she assumes we're still like that. Brainless, petty children who can't do anything by themselves.

That's what we were, or at least what I was. But not anymore. I need Wally, but that doesn't mean I can't do anything without him. And he may need my help (even though he doesn't know it.), but he can take care of himself.

Mushi underestimates him. Everyone underestimates him. He underestimates himself.

Nobody but me knows how smart Wally can be when he tries.

* * *

"_Numbuh 4! I'm so proud of you! You learned to swim!"_

_"Hey! I did, didn't I?"_

_"See? I always told you you could! You're smart! Here.."—smack—"That's for coming to get us like that."_

_"Well… uh…"_

_"Y'know, that weird version of you was saying something about how you wouldn't be able to tell they were fake, because he thought you were stupid. Hahahha! You sure showed him, huh, Numbuh 4?"_

_"Yeah! Yeah I sure did!"_

_"I'll bet you knew as soon as you saw Eizzel and Ligen you knew it wasn't them, right?"_

_"Actually, I…"_

_"You didn't have to wait for this 'look into your love's eyes' thing or anything, did you? Haha! That stupid Other-Numbuh 4!"_

_"Uh…. Yeah… Heheh. That stupid Numbuh 4… yeah."_

_"I'm glad he didn't know how smart you were Numbuh 4. Otherwise we'd be goners for sure. You even thought how to keep somebody back to take care of him when he jumped back in! That was smart!"_

_"I… Hey… I did, didn't I?"_

_"You're smart, Numbuh 4!"_

* * *

I'm in the hallway now, walking. It feels so strange to move my feet again, after simply sitting on them for so long. They had to hold me up on the way out of the control room, but now I think I'm getting some feeling back in them. So weird… to be moving around, passing through the hallways. It feels free, but I know it's not. I was more in control back in the tube. Here, flanked on guards on both sides, walking past blast doors and laser security systems and sooper-dense security bots, I can't do anything.

Sandy's changed the look of this place, I note. A lot of the old wood and ducktape has been replaced by some kind of stone-stuff, and he's starting to use torches. There are even some chains on the wall, and I grin. How idiotic. Next thing you know he'll be putting turrets on the runway.

The ventilator shafts are still there, though, and I watch the red eyes move from vent to vent. He's worried about me, I know, but I shake my head. He can't do anything, not against these numbers. Mushi is wasting a lot of troops. The whole Decommissioning sector is cordoned off, and the guards are practically stepping on each other. I suppress a smirk. Looks like she's more afraid of Numbuh 4 than she lets on. Doesn't matter. She's still underestimating him, thinking he's going to come here and rescue me. And if he did, these guards wouldn't…

No. Wally is NOT coming.

We're in the black ops section of the building. The hallways are more sleek now, metallic, and my sneering sister nods at us as we pass through a set of armored pass points. She gestures to the guards, and they start to seal off the door. The red eyes are on the other side—even the ventilator shafts are cut off here—and they stare at me mournfully as the doors slam shut.

"Time to get started!" I look down at my sister as she rubs her hands gleefully. "C'mon let's move, we don't want to be late!"

I roll my eyes as I'm jabbed forward by the guards. It doesn't matter what time we get there. It doesn't matter what happens when we do. Nothing about this even seems real. I suppose, on some level, I realize they're decommissioning me, but somehow I couldn't care less.

I see the chamber—beautiful, in a way, Hoagie poured his genius into these new things—and I see the prisoners too. Poor kids, they haven't even had a full two years yet. And yet they've done so well—they could've really been something. Shauny looks the most shaken, he's still getting past his sister's betrayal. Lee's taking it well enough, or at least I think he is. Sonya seems a little nervous, but she waves at me.

Fanny's there too, I note. Sitting up in the rafters, just out of sight, but I know she's there. I imagine Numbuh 12 and 363 are up there too, out where the Elites can't see. Mushi pulled out all the stops. If Wally was coming (which he's not. Definitely not.), he'd have quite a fight on his hands.

Just like he likes.

"Okay, c'mon, move it, move it!" They're shoving me into a tube now, and I sit down willingly enough. I smile brainlessly at them, still playing the airhead. Let them do whatever they like, but Mushi will never suspect how I've messed up her plans. Never, until Wally comes and takes her down.

Not now, of course. He's not coming now.

"Anything?" Mushi turns to a technician, and he shakes her head. She frowns and glares at me. Apparently they still haven't detected anything. Not surprising, Bradley will have messed up the sensors by now.

And there's nothing to see, of course.

Mushi stares at me, in thought, then finally seems to decide. "Well, he'll be here soon enough. Start it up."

It's starting. I see the blue glow light up the chamber, hear the roaring of the machine in my ears. I wonder for a moment what it'll be like. This has happened to me once already but I don't remember what happened (duh). And anyway they're all different now. I hear someone crying to the side… it sounds like Shauny. Go on and cry, no one's coming for you. Certainly not Wally. Of course not.

Wally's not coming.

The light grows, and grows. My sister looks impatient, edgy, she's got her gun out and pointing at all corners of the room. "Be ready!" She shouts. "Be ready!"

The hum reaches a crescendo and holds it, it's fully warmed up. It will begin any minute now, and I finally realize what I've been saying the whole time.

Wally isn't coming. He really isn't.

And I'm going to forget all about him without even being able to tell him what I did.

Wally, if you were here I could tell you, tell you how I never lost hope, how even now I still haven't. You'll find a way to do what I can't, you can get my sister. No matter what anyone says, Wally, you're smart, and you're good, and you're kind, and really sweet underneath all that tough-guy stuff you put up. And I know you're not here, but if you were, Wally, I'd like to say…

Oh.

* * *

_"I wonder which one of us will go first."_

_"Huh?"_

_"Which one. Which one of us they're gonna take first and stick inside that brain-sucker. Probably me, I guess, since your birthday ain't for a while yet."_

_"Oh…. I'm sorry, Numbuh 4! I could have my birthday earlier if you want!"_

_"No, actually, it's kinda better this way. Oi mean, I don't really know what I'd do if I was the last one left, the last operative from the old days. Especially if this cruddy Sandy's still in control. Not sure I could take much more of him."_

_"Aw, Sandy's not so bad. Didn't you just say he was gonna give us backup to take down Fanny?"_

_"Eh… Mebbe. He's always saying somethin' like that. Course, doesn't make a difference now."_

_"Haha. Oh yeah. This is a really smart plan, Numbuh 4! Using the Rainbow Monkey to track them down, and then using Hippy-Hop to break in… It's a great plan!"_

_"Should at least get us to where they are. I'm sick and tired of being one step behind this girl, 'bout time we caught up and did some butt-kicking. Helps that you had that list prepared."_

_"Oh thanks! I knew we were gonna rescue the Rainbow Monkeys EVENTUALLY! I just needed to wait until you thought of one of your really smart plans."_

_"Kuki… Ya know, I'm not really the brightest dingo in the ditch. Ya keep saying that, but I ain't…"_

_"Don't be silly, stupid! Of course you are! You thought this up, didn't you?"_

_--snort-- "Only cause I had to. If Numbuh 1, or Numbuh 5, or even Numbuh 2 was still here, I'd give it over to them."_

_"Well, duh. But you still thought of it. That means you always could, you just never tried to before! See? And all you needed was a little thing, like this thing! See? You just try hard and believe in yourself, like Annoyingly Overused Cliché Rainbow Monkey says!"_

_--sigh-- "Well, I'd rather that it never happened. Oi was a lot happier before I was this 'smart.' Numbuh 1, an' Numbuh 2 an' Numbuh 5… It was a lot better than it is now."_

_--silence—_

_"It changes, Kooks. Everytime Oi lose a friend, it changes, and I change too. An' Oi don't like it. That's why I hope I go first, 'cause if you do, what am I gonna do then?"_

* * *

"Father is enclosed in his study." The five regarded the visitor perched in the armchair. "Otherwise he would doubtless be interested to hear what you have to say."

"I'm sure." The visitor was a mere dark form outlined in the armchair.

"Father himself no longer has any interest in the Kids Next Door." The Delightful Children narrowed their eyes. "He wishes to find Nigel Uno, and punish him for stealing his pipe." The Delightful children moved onto the couch across from their strange visitor and collectively picked up five cups of coffee. "Fortunately for you, our interest in destroying the Kids Next Door is quite the same as it was, and Father has placed no restrictions on us. However, we do not wish to 'show our hand' too soon." As one, they lifted the cups and sipped. "IF your information is useful, we MIGHT be persuaded to move forward and donate our… resources to your plan."

"Well then." Lamplight glinted on teeth. "Here it is. The KND is a little… distracted right now, and their leader's an idiot. Most of their leadership is stuck up on moonbase, still recovering from them treehouse attacks. One good strike there…" he gestured. "An' you got the KND as good as dead."

"And how would you get in there?" The children snorted collectively. "The KND's greatest stronghold is beyond even our abilities. Especially without our Father."

"Well." Their visitor studied his fingernails a moment. "I know a lot about that place. But there's more."

The visitor's voice grew low. "What if I told you I could get you a whole army of soldiers? Ones who hate the KND even worse than, say, you? Ones who knew the KND better than, say, me? Say… former operatives of the KND?"

"Do not trouble us with your fantasies." The children sneered. "All fugitive operatives of the KND have been caught and decommissioned already. Where would you get more?"

"Well, see, that's wot Oi need you for." Numbuh 4, formerly of the Kids Next Door, leaned into the light, his smirk clearly visible. "There's a recommissioning module I need to get my hands on."

* * *

**A/N: **I'm evil, aren't I? Give me a review and tell me so. I might even give you a hint about what's coming up in the next chapter, except I'm not yet sure myself. I'm toying between ending it next time, or dragging it on for one more chapter. Which, given my update time, might mean this will be done by Christmas.

Aggh. I promise I've been working on this. But something about college... they expect you to do work, for some reason. And they've been really insistent recently. The next one shouldn't take too long.

(That's what I said last time, but I mean it this time)

Anyway. This chapter... yeah. This is what happens when you read too many of those dark AU's where Barney becomes an evil dictator lizard king, or Sonic throws himself off a cliff because Amy's dead. This is why I try and keep my mind under control, because every so often it breaks loose and does this. This is why I don't write those fics.

Ah well. Once again, review! Next Chapter coming up!


	15. Pressure

_It is hard for today's recruits to conceive what drove Wally to act as he did. They cannot imagine why one of the most famous operatives in history, the last of the renowned Sector V, should ally with his worst enemies so he could strike at his old friends. The events themselves, of course, give us some hint of his purposes, but still many find it hard to believe that a stalwart officer of the KND should turn his back, even in exile. It is perhaps one of the most famous events of the Reworking, earning a place in the archives next to the "betrayal" of Chad._

_Some, of course, have heard it so many times they no longer realize how momentous it was. Such is the reward of history. Great trials and struggles of the present become the dusty worn tales of the past, and future generations forget them. Perhaps it is thus that history repeats itself. Seven ages of the KND have passed, and now, in the eighth, we find our own history becoming legend, as it did before with Numbuh 0 and his exploits._

_But I'm getting off the point, and I should return, as half the object of this narrative is to both remove the legend and describe the wonder. Numbuh 4 had always been the stupid one, and no one, least of all Mushi, could have seen the clever way he eluded the KND spy network. But certainly there was no way of foreseeing his final great push. Never had Numbuh 4 exerted such cunning, or even known he was capable of it. _

_Historians are, as usual, at a loss to explain where this sudden genius for strategy came from, but it is really quite straightforward. Numbuh 4 knew, or rather thought, he was the last of Sector V. To his knowledge, the KND had taken all his friends from him, and he was honor-bound to bring them back. There was simply no other option. No aspect of his plan could fail, or it all would. And so, in the greatest ordeal of his life, Numbuh 4 arose to the occasion through sheer force of will. As the saying is, pressure turns coal into diamonds, and Numbuh 4, once the dullest lump in the yard, rose to become the brightest star. _


	16. Pals in Peril

_It'll be your 13__th__ birthday tomorrow._

Wally blinked at the thought, then shook it aside. Just another number on the list of crimes he would be wanted for. They couldn't even find him, so they would hardly be able to get him decommissioned. And if they caught him now—he cast a look back—decommissioning would be the last thing on their mind.

"We do not often take Father's Really Really Incredibly Destructive Machine out." They frowned at him through the glass. "We like to reserve it for special occasions. We hope, for your sake, that you are certain of what you say."

"Yeah, whatevah." Wally shrugged it off and turned back to study the landscape. Riding on the DCFDTL's vehicle was not exactly the most fun he'd had, but it got them to where they needed to go. And right now he had too much on his mind to give much thought to it anyway.

He was the last. The absolute last. He'd heard it confirmed on the KND web-system, Kuki had been decommissioned. Probably… he checked his watch… 2 hours ago. Now they were all gone, except for him. And he… he was forced to work alongside their greatest enemies.

But it would be worth it. It would all be worth it, if he could just get back at Mushi and her idiotic toadie of a leader.

Weeks he'd been dodging them. Weeks. Trying to collect his thoughts and form a plan, and at the same time trying to second-guess those cruddy operatives they kept sending after him. And by the time he had finally figured it out and gotten everything in place, he had learned he was too late. Too late to save her anyway.

In a way, he supposed it was all for the best. It didn't really change his plan much, and it freed him of the last hold that the KND had on him. Now he could pursue his plan without worrying how it would affect his friends.

For now… he truly had no friends left.

* * *

"_You broke the rules… to save me." Numbuh 1 arched an eyebrow at the rest of them as they sat in the newly-reconstructed treehouse. "We're supposed to play by the rules. You could get decommissioned for what you did."_

"_Eh." Abby shrugged. "The rules stink. Besides, it wasn't even Abby's idea. She didn't want no part of it. If you go off acting like an idiot, that's your business." She busied herself with her magazine._

_Numbuh 1 shrugged. "Fair enough. I do wonder though… who took charge while I was gone?"_

"_Oooooh!" Kuki waved her hand about in the air enthusiastically. "Numbuh 5! She made the plan to break into the mansion!"_

"_Nope." Abby shook her head. "I was just moping around in the box with the rest of you losers until Numbuh 4 decided we should go attack the ice-cream truck."_

"_Yeah, he came up with the idea that we should grab that cigar." Hoagie nodded, polishing off a large sandwhich. "Have to say, did a lot better than the last time he took over."_

_Numbuh 1 turned to Wally, a strange look on his face. "You?"_

_Wally shrugged. He didn't see much what the big deal was. "Yeah. I was bored, figured someone had to do somethin' to get us all moving." Nigel's look annoyed him. "What's the matter?"_

"_Nothing." There was a smile hovering around the corner's of Nigel's mouth. "I just… well, it just didn't seem like the sort of thing you'd do."_

"_Whaddya mean?" Wally sat up straight. "It was just the same sorta thing you woulda done! You mean you don't think I can't think of a simple thing like that? You think I'm some sorta blockhead?"_

_Nigel glanced away furtively. "Of course not, of course not." He murmured._

_Wally narrowed his eyes._

"_I just didn't exactly…" Numbuh 1 looked back, studying him. "…after the clam incident, I figured you'd be the one most anxious to get rid of me." He adjusted his sunglasses. "Especially seeing as how you were already leading in my absence, it appears."_

_Wally snorted and stared back down at his comic books. He could've mentioned how dismal his leadership had been. He could've said how even what he had come up with was nothing to what Numbuh 1 would've done. He have said that he had seized command in a wild bet to prove that he could still boss people around. He could even have said how much he respected Numbuh 1 for being able to do that, and how he wished he could be as good. He could have said any number of things._

_Looking back, he wished he had. As it was, however, he only replied:_

"_Oi never leave a mate behind."_

_

* * *

  
_

"And none of them stayed behind? You're sure?"

"Yeah, it's all set." Joe's voice came over the walkie talkie. "My dad announced a huge Yipper card sale about an hour ago. They're all here, and they ain't leaving anytime soon."

"Good." Wally nodded.

"They're messing up the place something awful." Joe sounded very peeved. "And they stink like nothing else. You owe me for this, you hear?"

"Yeah, yeah." Wally assured the radio. "I'll make sure to pay you back once this is all over."

"Hmmph." Joe did not sound assured. "Shoot, if you didn't know my old partner, I wouldn'ta stuck my neck out like dis." The radio clicked into silence.

Hoagie's old friends… Wally's eyes narrowed. All the help he had gottem was from Hoagie's old friends, Abby's old friends, Kuki's few contacts, and the occasional good adult they had befriended… they were all he had left. Just friends of his friends. Nothing more.

Just like at the beginning.

When Wally had joined the KND, that had been all it'd been about. Not the friends, not the help. It was simply an outlet, a way to play around with cool guns and smash things. To become the most powerful, the leader. The other members in his team weren't… well, they were good kids, but they weren't his main concern.

That had been what he'd told himself. Not even told, really, his mind hadn't developed that far, but assumed, done. He had ignored them, tricked them, gone off on his own a number of times just to show he didn't need them. As long as they had all been together, he'd taken pride in being the lone wolf.

Figures he'd get what he'd wished for.

"Numbuh 4!"

"Wally." He reminded them, not even turning around.

"Whatever." The Delightfuls snorted as one. "We do not have time for this. Is the diversion established or not!"

Wally groaned. "Yeah. Yeah, it's good. We've got a pretty clear shot right now."

"Excellent. Then where do we go, Numbuh 4?"

"I told ya, my names Wally. And now…" He allowed a grin to cross his face. "We've got a nerd's hideout to break into."

* * *

_"So much for those cruddy Spinach dorks." Numbuh 4 stood, watching the ships sail off into the neighborhood. "They better not come to THIS school again, or they're gonna have US to answer to!"_

_"Oh please, fool." Numbuh 5 glanced at him, disgusted. "The only one they had ta answer to was Numbuh 2 here."_

_"Heh."_

_"Yeah, what was with that?" Numbuh 4 regarded Numbuh 2 strangely. "How'd they get you in their creepy little group thing? Like they brainwash you or something?"_

_Abby rolled her eyes and left. Numbuh 2, looking rather embarrassed, simply stood and shuffled his feet._

_"Hey, c'mon, what's with it?" Wally was puzzled. "I mean, how'd they get you like that?"_

_"Well, I…" Hoagie coughed lightly. "I… uh… like I told you earlier… I… uh… I kinda like the stuff, actually."_

_"What? Aw, come off it! You can't be serious!"_

_"It's not bad!" Defensively, Hoagie folded his arms across his chest. "You just need to get used to it, maybe add some salad dressing, and just get it down! It's great stuff! My mom serves it all the time!"_

_"Hmmph." Wally grunted. "That cruddy stuff. Tastes like…"_

_"It tastes just fine!" Hoagie insisted. "You should try some sometime, Numbuh 4!"_

_"Yeah, like what your new friends were trying to get me to do." Grumbling, Wally turned away. "No thanks. So what, you actually liked those guys?"_

_"Well… yeah." Hoagie shrugged. "Or, at least, I did before I found out they all hated it too. It's always cool to meet somebody who likes the same things you do, you know?"_

_Wally mulled over that a moment. Suddenly smirking, he replied. "I guess. It's always cool to meet some great boxing guy or some super-cool operative. Or even just somebody who's a real good punching bag or something."_

_"Uh… yeah." A fit of nervousness crossed Hoagie's face. _

_"But… I dunno." Wally frowned. "Oi always seem to get in fight with those guys. And they're usually so stupid, too." He considered a moment. "Sometimes its more fun to hang out with people who ain't so eager to tackle me, and who actually know what they're talking about. Especially cause then I get them to help me with my homework." He winked and nudged Hoagie. _

_"Hmph." Hoagie looked a little peeved. "Well, it's not often I find people who like Spinach like I do, so excuse me if I was all happy when they showed up. It kinda… I dunno, I really wanted to exchange salad recipes or something." _

_"Ewww…"_

_"Well, look, I don't get to do it all the time." Hoagie turned on him. "And it was pretty exciting. I mean, you have to make the most of what friends you have, you know? You don't always get a lot, and I just think… I mean, you should try to be as friendly to as many people as possible."_

_"Psh, forget that crud." Wally waved off the idea. "Too many people in the world not worth the trouble. If you try and make friends of people you don't even like, whaddaya do with the people you actually like?"_

_"Well…" Hoagie frowned. "Okay, but you should still try to be helpful to everybody you can."_

_"Nah, that's too much trouble. You should just stick with your mates."_

_"No, you should really try to help everyone you can."_

_"Huh." Wally glared at Numbuh 2. "Oh yeah? So how'd you decide whether to help those Spinach dorks?"_

_"Oh, c'mon Wally," Hoagie's face changed. "You know I'd never leave my pals like that."_

_

* * *

  
_

"You did not quite inform us of the nature of this battle." The Delightful children complained, smashing a wall of zombies with their hammer. "If you had, we would have brought gas masks."

Wally threw a disgusted look at them. "How can ya even smell them inside that plexiglass bubble of yours?" He asked, ducking under a gigantic zombie's attack. "An' besides, Oi never told ya this was gonna be pleasant."

"Indeed." Wally could not tell if they were rolling their eyes or not. "Why, pray tell, did we need the 'Yipper card' at the center of this complex? They did not seem to be hostile until we acquired that."

"Exactly." Wally paused to squirt some mustard in a zombie's face. "The card is their most valuable possession, and it's the key to the recommisioning device. Hoagie knew that no one would dare to steal it from this place, so he made it the access card to his version of the thing."

"Did he." The Delightfuls did not sound very impressed. "And how did Numbuh 2 plan to acquire it from this complex without asphixiating?"

"Huh?"

"Dying. From suffocation."

"Oh. Well, the KND main command have a card of their own." Wally threw a look at them. "But I don't think they'd lend it to us, so I went for the only backup copy. Now stop complaining already. These here Dork-Zombies are nasty enough, but they're slow. All we gotta do is get far enough ahead of them."

"Ah? And they will give up the chase?" The Delightfuls raised an eyebrow as Wally jumped onto the Really Really Incredibly Destructive Machine.

A snort came in answer. "No. These dorks don't ever give up. But it should give us enough time to do what we need to do, and then we can just give them their cruddy card back."

"Understood." The children pressed a button, and their enormous disk shot away into the sky.

* * *

_"Here, Numbuh 3, we got Mr. Huggikins all fixed up again." Hoagie handed the stuffed animal over to her and gave Numbuh 4 a thumbs-up. "He should be fine now."_

_"Yay!" Numbuh 3 dropped what she was holding and grabbed the stuffed pink bear. _

_"I LOVE YOU VERY MUCH!" The toy squeaked._

_"I love you too, Mr. Huggikins!" She nuzzled his fur happily. Numbuh 4 rolled his eyes and made a gagging motion to Numbuh 2. Numbuh 2 nodded. Suddenly remembering them, Kuki twirled around. "Oh! Thank you very much, Numbuh 2!"_

_Hoagie rubbed the back of his neck. "Ah… you're welcome. Nothing big." _

_"Hey! Oi helped too!" Wally glared at his friend._

_"Oh yeah. Thanks, Numbuh 4." Kuki nodded dismissively._

_Wally gaped as Numbuh 2 left the room. "Hey, what gives!" He eyed her suspiciously. "You ain't still upset about that cruddy mess with the Cat Lady, are ya? I mean, I apologized and everything…"_

_"Oh NO, silly, not THAT!" Kuki bounced over and gave him a sugary smile. "After all, Mr. Huggikins is back! We don't have anything more to worry about, do we, Mr. Huggikins?" She squeezed her bear._

_"I LOVE YOU VERY MUCH!"_

_"That's right." She nodded pertly at the bear. "So that's why we're not upset with Numbuh 4, even if he was mean and broke you, because you're all back together now. And that's what makes us special!" She hugged the bear again._

_"I LOVE YOU VERY MUCH!"_

_Wally rolled his eyes in frustration. "Whatevah. Y'know, Numbuh 3, you spend more time talking to those fluffballs then ya do talking to the rest of the team here!"_

_"They're NOT fluffballs!" Kuki turned on him with eyes of wrath that made Wally cower backwards. "Mr. Huggikins and Winkle-Pinkle-Tinkle are Rainbow Monkeys! And," Suddenly her mood turned sunny cheerful again. "...they're my friends!"_

_"Ehhhh… yeah." Numbuh 4 made a face. "Right."_

_"They're all nice to me, and they smile, and they all share!" Kuki tossed Mr. Huggikins aside and grabbed another stuffed animal. "And they're always here to help me, too! This is Giggling Gossip Rainbow Monkey." She added in a whisper, indicating her new 'friend.' "I tell him all my most deepest secrets."_

_Wally was puzzled. "Like what?"_

_"Oh, nothing." Kuki giggled, and for the life of him Wally could not imagine why. Suddenly throwing Giggle-Gossip-whatever aside, she dove into the neon pile of toys surrounding them. "And this is Steadfast Loyalty Rainbow Monkey, and this is Sunny Stronghearted, and this is…"_

_"Yeah, yeah, I get the idea." Wally wondered why he was even still there._

_"I have friends for EVERYTHING!" Kuki's head surfaced amid a sea of bright felt. "They're so fun! I can talk to this one when I'm feeling sad, and to this one when I'm feeling happy, and this one when I'm feeling abso-lutely splendiferous…"_

_"Oh yeah?" Wally snorted. "And what do they all say?"_

_Eying him, Kuki giggled. "They don't say anything, silly! They're not REAL!"_

_"Well then why do ya always play with them so much?" Glaring at the stuffed animals as if they were responsible for all his troubles. "I mean, if they're not even real, they can't help talk back to ya, or even help you with problems, or…"_

_He stopped suddenly. Kuki's eyes were brimming with tears, and her bottom lip was quivering._

_"Uh… I mean…" He glanced around nervously. "Wouldn't ya rather… ya know… play with your… uh… real friends?"_

_"Welllllllll…." Kuki sat and considered that for a moment. "I guesssss… kinda." She considered a moment. "But these're so much fun!" She tossed aside her current friend and picked up another. "They always do what I want them to!"_

_"That's boring." Wally frowned. "They can't surprise you or do anything you wouldn't think of yourself. And I'd rather have something real that I disagreed with than something fake that…"_

_Wally stopped suddenly. At what point had Kuki gotten him talking about these things as if they were actually friends of hers?_

_Kuki cocked her head at him as she squeezed her new toy. "Numbuh 4? Are you feeling okay?"_

_"I…. uh… I…"_

_"I LOVE YOU VERY MUCH!"_

_

* * *

  
_

_I hate swimming._ The thought momentarily floated through Wally's head as he dived through the gunfire. _I REALLY hate swimming. _He ducked under some rockets and replied with a few blasts from his mustard gun. _Shoot, a month or so ago, I couldn't even do it. Why'd Hoagie have to hide this thing in the undersea lab?_

It was strange that this should occur to him now, after he and the Delightful Children had swum all the way to the lab, breaking inside. If it had, he would've probably panicked and drowned or something. He supposed during the swim over he had been doing his best not to think about it.

Now, of course, that he was inside the lab, with water exploding on every side of him and gumballs flying overhead, it suddenly had to strike him how absolutely terrified he was of water.

Stupid, of course. He flipped over some crates and fired off some shots. After all, he could swim just fine. Probably always could have, just hadn't thought so, until Kuki pointed it out to him.

Kuki…

Wally's eyes narrowed and his gun erupted in an unstoppable salvo. Fueled with rage, he charged at his opponents, discharging mustard, lemon bombs, gumballs, every single thing in his arsenal. Seven guards dropped, and the rest fled.

Kuki. Just one of many friends who the KND had taken from him. The last, and the best. Wally strode through the shattered guard post into the main hall, towards the distant explosions he could hear. The best. And the one taken most shamefully. Nigel had been taken for a thing he believed in, Abby had been taken by her struggle against her sister, and Hoagie had been taken by Abby. But Kuki… Kuki had been taken by her very friends and betrayed.

They had taken her. He hadn't been able to do much about it then, all by himself. But NOW he cruddy well could, and he fully intended to.

In the main hall, several hundred guards were raining fire at a very- distressed looking "Really Really Incredibly Destructive Machine." Cracks were running along its sides and the legs wobbled unsteadily.

Wally snorted. Apparently they just didn't make doomsday machines like they used to.

"Numbuh 4!" The distressed Delightful Children screamed from their shaking bubble. "This is not going according to plan!"

Wally groaned. There went his flanking maneuver. The Delightful's had just alerted the entire garrison to his presence.

A hail of gunfire descended upon him, and he dived to the left, behind a pillar. A lemon grenade came whistling around it, and he leapt into the rafters. They were good, these guards. Good men, good soldiers. He didn't particularly like doing this. But even if they had not taken his friends, but they helped those who had.

A few shots, and the steel beams came raining down. The operatives scrambled, found new ground, and fired again. Wally frowned. They were REALLY good.

"Numbuh 4!" Wally looked up to see the Delightful's oh-so-powerful crab-walker blow into fragments. He groaned again. So much for backup.

This part of the plan was going down pretty quickly. Troops were already swarming the Delightfuls, and all the rest came running to reinforce Wally's attackers. Wally counted. 10… 20… 30… Bad, but not impossible. He could maybe take them, if he took out the…

"Move, Move, Move!" Wally's head whipped around at the order as huge metal doors swung open and a whole new cordon of troops poured in.

Wally's shoulders slumped in disbelief.

"Move! You there! Surround the Delightfuls! You guys! Get that rat in the rafters, bring him down!" The reinforcements charged through the hall, taking up defensive positions. Gunfire rained through the rafters. For all Wally's leaping and dodging, a number caught him, and he fell to the floor, wincing in pain.

"Cruddy gumballs." Glancing up, he surveyed the situation. He had fortunately landed behind some sheltering electronics, but the sound of heavy tramp on metal told him it could not last. Biting back the pain, he leveled his mustard pistol. At the very least, he would make a stand here.

Where _was_ he standing, anyway?

Looking up, Wally beheld a large glass tube. Thick pipes and wires ran into it, filling it with gas that dimly obscured a figure within. Written on the side were the words: "Patient C."

A sudden idea struck Wally.

Deliberately, he aimed for the canister and fired a volley of mustard. The glass splintered under the barrage, releasing steam throughout the room. A siren wailed in distress, and the heavy tramps suddenly became a riotus stampede of feet.

Wally smiled as he heard the order for immediate evacuation. All these years, and they still feared the infection.

Cooties. What a hoot.

* * *

_"I am TOO smart! Whadda that teacher mean?" Wally complained as they left the classroom. "I'm smart! I'm plenty smart! I figured out how to take them stupid Wolves out, didn't I?"_

_"Not so loud, Numbuh 4." Abby groaned at his side. "Loud ain't good. Numbuh 5's head still hurts from all that fuss last night."_

_"Oh right." Wally looked at her. "You feelin' okay? Like, you ain't gonna break out in a homicidal rage again, are ya?"_

_"Heh." Abby stood up and rumpled his hair. "Nuttin' like that, no. Abby feels 100% full-blooded kid right now. But she ain't so hot from losing so much sleep last night. But it ain't so bad, at least she ain't a wolf no more." Her eyes softened a moment as she looked at Wally. "Thanks for saving Abby's butt back there, by the way."_

_"Ah, no problem!" Wally puffed out his chest with pride. "Why, them cruddy wolves never stood a chance against me! I'm the greatest wolf-fighter that ever tangled with the Dingos of the Aegean Sea!"_

_Abby stared at him, then grinned. "Looks like ya still need help with your homework, though." _

_"Uh… yeah, I was gonna ask about that." Wally rubbed his neck in an awkward fashion. "Do ya think ya could… uh, you know."_

_"Sure thing." Abby shouldered her bookbag. "After all, Numbuh 5 still owes you for last night." She narrowed her eyes at him. "'Course, you still owe Abby for that whole mess with the Weird Cat Lady…"_

_"Hey! That didn't even work out! Oi don't owe you nothing!"_

_"You managed to keep Numbuh 3 happy." She threw a smirk at him. "That's worth somethin' ain't it?"_

_"I… well, I… H—hey! What're you trying to say, anyway?"_

_"Oh nothin' Forget it." Abby laughed. She ruffled his hair in a most irritating manner, and grinned as he glared at her. "You such a blockhead sometimes, you know dat, Numbuh 4?"_

_"Yeah, and you're a cruddy busybody." Wally grumbled. "Why're you always trying to fix my life for, anyway?"_

_"Cause someone's gotta, the way you keep banging it up." Abby stopped by her locker and grabbed some magazines. "No matter what we're doing, you always seem to end in the worst possible place. If there's a stupid place ta be in, you's gonna run in there with your eyes wide open." She slammed her locker shut and grinned at him good-naturedly. "You need some serious looking after, boy. You like a little brother sometimes, you always getting in trouble."_

_"How would you know?" Wally was still grumbling. He couldn't very well deny what Numbuh 5 was saying, but that didn't mean he had to like it. "Anyway, you get in trouble plenty yourself, you know."_

_He had meant it to mean the many solo missions she went on, but the look on her face showed she was thinking of something quite different. "Yeah…" She whispered. "Yeah." Drawing a deep breath, she looked over at him. "Just… yeah. Thanks for helping Abby out. Abby didn't… Abby wasn't sure… Heck, she even told ya to stay away."_

_Wally shrugged, a trifle uncomfortable. _

_"Why'd ya go in there? You weren't too wild about it before, and Abby told you to stay out."_

_Wally could not say the words that came to his mind, about how he had felt it a way to repay Numbuh 5 for everything she had done. He could not explain his sudden surge of protectiveness, except that it was the first time he had seen his 'big sister' in need of help. Abby would not like to hear it, and he did not want to say it._

_So instead, he said the obvious. "Ya never leave a mate behind, Numbuh 5. You know that."_

_

* * *

  
_

Wally shoved the card into the console and stepped back as the wall folded back, revealing the all-new recommissioning device. It might as well have been the same, it looked just like the old one, but there was no doubt it was functional.

"Excellent!" The Delightful children stepped forward, rubbing their hands in delight. "You have done well, Wallabee."

"Yup." Wally smirked at it, eyes narrowed in satisfaction. "Now we can get our army together."

"But Wallabee Beetles." The children's voices took on a sinister tone. "We're sorry to say we have lied to you."

Wally paused.

"We are not interested in your army. Not at all. We don't need an army of those snot-nosed brats to help us take down those stupid KNDoofuses. We don't need anyone. Anyone, that is, except Father. And Father's Father."

Wally remained silent.

"An ARMY." The children let out their chilling collective chuckle. "Grandfather took out your stupid KND before, and he can do it again. And when he does, he will be grateful to those who have assisted in his rise to power. Like us. And if you wish it, Wallabee…" Their voices grew softer. "Like you."

"Think of it, Wally. Ultimate revenge on all those who turned on you, all those who simply stood by and watched. All those who never realized what YOU had to go through to save their world." There was a slight chuckle. "You may have lost all your old friends, but that doesn't mean you can't make new ones."

Wally said nothing for a few moments. He seemed to be thinking. "I liked my old friends." He said, absentmindedly. "Oi liked 'em a lot."

"And the Kids Next Door took them all from you."

"Yeah." Wally nodded, looking at the floor.

"Why not… in getting back at the Kids Next Door… why not focus on the new friends you could make?"

"I could use some new friends." Wally nodded slowly. A grin spread over his face. "But not the one's you're thinking of."

Whirling suddenly, he aimed the Re-Commissioning Device at the Delightful Children and pressed the button.

* * *

_At the same moment when he could see nothing, he felt everything._ _He felt warmth around him, on every side. They were all tight, in one group, for one moment, the five who would never be all together again. Their arms encompassed him, surrounded him, held him tight in a collective comfort. For one last time, the five felt as one._

"_Okay, listen up everyone! Promise to me that you'll never grow up, even if you grow to be a hundred years old, you'll still be a kid at heart, okay? Now who's with me?"_

_"Five!"_

_"Four!"_

_"Three!"_

_"Two!"_

_"One! KIDS NEXT DOOR!..."_

—_pause—_

" _Goodbye..."_

_And then the center dropped out, and all was void and darkness._

_

* * *

  
_

"Okay, so ya don't know how long this is gonna last, so we gotta hoof it while we can." Wally was speaking in a short, business-like way to David, who was apparently the leader of Sector Z. "First we head for Numbuh's 2 and 5. They practically lived on that moonbase and they know it better'n anyone. Next, we can get 20,000, 60, 65.3, 74.239, and some of the…"

"Hey!" The helmet-kid—Lenny, Wally reminded himself—called over from the deserted SCAMPER. "Numbuh 4 sir! You're gonna want to look at this!"

Wally ran up and studied the screen. It was a standard KND news feed, and seemed to be discussing a kind of prison break…

"…all the fugitives were apparently in the process of decommissioning when the break-in occurred." The newscaster stated gravely. "The intruder, who has been identified as the rogue Numbuh 86, or Fanny, was apparently attempting to rescue her brother Shauny, one of the fugitives."

Wally stared at the screen in disbelief. Sector Z gathered around him, also staring.

"The fugitives…" The profiles of Sonia, Lee, Shauny, Fanny, and Kuki scrolled onto the screen. "…are currently holed up in the fourth quadrant of the decommissioning area. Despite heavy casualties, head of Decommissioning Numbuh 451 remains optimistic that her forces will soon be able to recapture the fugitives and resume the decommissioning process."

There was a short silence among the team. Then, David spoke up suddenly. "Change of plans, sir?"

Wally nodded. "Change of plans."

* * *

**A/N**: REVIEW! Reviews are the light water that feeds the garden of the muses. Reviews are the food that feeds the hungry author. Review unto others as you would have others review unto you.

I like Reviews. Can you tell?

So yeah, I seem to recall saying sometime last month that this chapter wouldn't take long. As you probably noticed, it has. It's taken a freaking long time. So even though I think the next one shouldn't take long either, I'm not going to say that, because it probably will. I'm not sure whether to be proud of this chapter or not. The plot is cool, I had the plot pretty well thought out. But the execution... meh. I'm not sure what to think. It shows the signs of difficult writing, which may excuse me from taking so long.

If anyone is confused by this point, I may as well explain how things stand. Fanny was working for Mushi, so when Kuki brought her in, Mushi captured Kuki and declared Wally a fugitive. Kuki and Sector W were planned for decommisssioning, but apparently Fanny, who was on guard, couldn't take the thought of her brother being decommissioned, so she stopped the procedure, and currently they're all holed up in the decommissioning chamber. So Numbuh 3 is actually still... uh... commissioned.

Got all that?

Comment if you don't, or if you didn't get it until I explained, I detest bad writing, most of all in my own work.

EDIT: It seems for some reason the line breaks were not working the first time. I hope they are now, they make the scene changes much easier to track.


	17. Permutations

_Ah, the final charge of Numbuh 4 and his calvary. So much has been said about it, what can I really add? And the last battle, why should I add to the thousand of theories already in circulation? What really remains to be said?_

_Of course, more can always be said, the question is only of the value of what is being said. But I will leave that up to you to decide. History is history, and maybe no one can ever know what truly happened. But as before, I must reinforce my claims here written with my own private knowledge of the people involved, and also surrounding evidence that has recently come to light. But my account, like all others, is purely hypothetical at points._

_So much changed that day, that last day of the seventh age of the Kids Next Door, though whether for the better or the worse is not mine to say. I cannot think of what it must have been to all those stranded on earth, unconscious of all that was going above them. They could not have known what would have all changed. _

_Indeed, I doubt Wally knew how much things would change. Despite common theory, I can't really think Wally had a real plan going into the Moonbase. Oh, to be sure he had a strategy for breaking in, and for defeating Mushi, but I doubt it was the one that finally won the battle. None of Numbuh 4's friends could have foreseen his actions that day. _

_No one could have foreseen the Reworking._


	18. Passing On

Once again the four dark shadows were gathered around the luminous table. Once again it was the dark shadow that spoke first.

"I am uneasy with this recent turn of events."

"This?" The curly-haired shadow turned to face him, braces flashing in the light. "This is better than what we were at before. At least now we don't have to worry about Numbuh 4 becoming a Teen."

"That has not yet been decided." The dark shadow replied, adjusting his sunglasses. "Numbuh 4 is a wild card. I am… uncomfortable with wild cards. He is, at the moment, dedicated to the memory of the KND, but…"

"He is governed by passion." The pale shadow nodded, his long pale hair wagging in the light. "Such passion is very likely to go astray. All it takes is a push in the right direction, and he will turn against us."

"Quite so." The dark shadow nodded. "Should we not arrest this before it becomes fatal? We have operatives now… perhaps…"

"No." The tall shadow spoke with authority. "We shall not interfere. Not yet. Numbuh 4 is in a dangerous position, yes, but he has not yet come to the point where he must decide. It is just possible that he will choose correctly."

"But the risks…"

"Are no greater than the benefits." The tall shadow glared. "Do you realize we have another potential operative in the balance here? Intervening now would be taking the great decision of Numbuh 4's life away. It would be shaping his very life without giving him any chance to do so himself."

"No, Numbuh Infinity. We must watch… and wait."

* * *

"_So why're we just sitting around for? What's so important about this oath thing?" Wally shifted uncomfortably on his seat, looking around the grand assembly hall at all the trainees, preparing to graduate. "Oi just thought we signed up and started smashing things!"_

"_Yeah!" Kuki frowned, wrinkling her nose at the snowcone in her hand. "This is boooring."_

"_Silence!" Hissed the bald kid… Numbuh 1, Wally reminded himself. _

"_Richard Telltan!" Called Numbuh 274 from up front, and somewhere in the crowd, a kid got up and walked to the front._

_Numbuh 1 nodded and turned to Wally disapprovingly. "The swearing in of KND recruits is an extremely important part of the selection process."_

_Wally snorted. "You say that about everything."_

"_Hah. They gotcha there." The dark girl, Numbuh 5 snorted. "He's actually right this time, though. Numbuh 5 didn't really understand it either when it was her turn, but this stuff is pretty important."_

"_Oh yeah? Like why?"_

"_It's important that ya know, when ya start out, exactly what it is you're signing up for." Numbuh 5 brushed some crumbs off her jacket. "What you're supposed to do, what you're agreeing to… basically, what the whole shenanigan's about. Which, by the way, ain't smashing things."_

"_What!" Wally stared at her in outrage. "But you said…"_

"_Leonard McCoy!" Another head got up and walked to the front._

"_Oh, c'mon, Numbuh 5." Hoagie, about the only one in the group Wally knew well, spoke up. "Smashing is pretty important."_

_Numbuh 5 rolled her eyes. "Fine den. It's important. But it ain't ALL what the KND's about, and it ain't the only thing you're gonna do, or even the only thing they can MAKE you do. It's important that you understan' all that, and say you do." She grinned. "An' it's important that you agree to work for them. They can't have ya running around smashin' things they wanna keep. Ya need to say you'll do what they say."_

"_Can't they just give me a paper or something?" Wally frowned. "Oi'm smart! I can get this stuff just fine by meself!"_

_Abby avoided his gaze. "Riiiight…."_

"_Arthur MacIntyre!"_

"_It's not just that." The bald kid was getting that look again. "When you swear loyalty to the KND, you make a personal commitment, not just to serve the organization, but also to abide by the principles it upholds!"_

"_Oh jeez…" Numbuh 5 covered her face. "Not this again…"_

"_The Kids Next Door is more than just any single person or any isolated group, but an idea! It is the embodiement of the right of kids to be kids, no matter how old they may grow! The body of the spirit that drives children everywhere to follow in the steps of Numbuh Zero! It is…."_

"_Yeah, yeah, they gets the idea." Numbuh 5 waved him down. "It's a fancy deal. Anyway, kiddo, whatever you think about it, it's important that ya swear loyalty to the KND. They need to know they can count on ya, whatever happens. When ya get older and its time to leave…" A shadow crossed her face momentarily. "…remember that."_

"_Wallabee Beatles!"_

* * *

The small figure crept warily along the ledge, doing his best not to look down. The ground was far away, miles away, in fact. However light the gravity might be, a fall would definitely hurt. He hugged the wall and shifted his feet, trying to move closer to the ventilation shaft.

Momentarily, he wondered why a moon base needed a ventilation shaft to begin with, but then he pushed the thought away. Now was not the time to think of such things. He needed to move quickly, or it would be too late. This was no longer a game, it was deadly serious.

A muffled explosion shook the wall, and he nearly fell backwards, catching himself just in time. Huffing out his breath slightly, he began to move faster. That sound only emphasized how he needed to hurry.

As he cast a nervous glance back, he caught glimpse of a ship just coming out from the shadow of the Earth. His eyes narrowed.

"They're here."

* * *

"We're here." Lenny called back. "ETA approximately five minutes, but we can plan on fighters scrambling in three. Shouldn't be a problem. We'll be in before you can blink and get your girlfriend out of there."

"She's not my girlfriend." Wally glowered. They had been saying that the entire time.

"Right…." Lenny shared a smirk with the pig-tailed girl.

Wally rolled his eyes. He cast another glance at the cockpit, where two blond heads could be seen. That one kid—Andy, Wally reminded himself—looked freakishly like him. He was even manning the weapons console. Go figure. But what were he and that other girl doing up there? They kept looking at each other…

"Don't mind them." Wally's head whipped back to face a smiling David, who jabbed his finger at the two. "They're just… remembering everything we've been through. All the memories come rushing back and it's a bit overwhelming."

A trifle upset at being found out so easily, Wally huffed and folded his arms. "Can't see how you guys manage to keep up much on ya skills, if you can't even remember how you used to fight."

"You'd think so." Nodding, David honed the edge of his staff. "But somehow that stuff manages to stay in. Not sure how it works, maybe Father programs in battle simulations, or maybe fighting is just so primal that the system can't repress it. We remember how we fight and what we need to do."

"And in reality, the process doesn't wipe our memories." Lenny spoke up from the console. "It just keeps us from thinking about anything but the present."

"True" David nodded. "So when we fight, that focus allows us to access our past memories of how we fought and who we fought. That's why we always pick on your sector. It's not all on Father's bidding. We have a private grudge. Do you remember in the ZERO incident, when Nigel and his dad came to us for help? Father told us to help them, and we defied him. We detested your sector so much we couldn't let it go."

"Yeah, that was kinda obvious." Wally checked the spout of his Mustard gun

"I suppose so. And yet…" David's brow furrowed. "…we always had a speck of admiration too. You can't fight against a good opponent and not admire him, to some extent."

Wally snorted. "Yeah right."

"Oh trust me." David smiled. "We missed you when you weren't around. It just wasn't the same. And we did help Nigel that one time."

"Yeaaaaahh…" Wally thought for one long minute. "You remembered that?"

"Remember?" Starting back, David stared at him, shocked. "We couldn't forget it! It left a mark on us, that we had fought alongside Nigel Uno, and felt him fight with us. Suddenly we had a new member among our memories, someone who we had felt the rush of battle with, and he happened to be our greatest enemy."

Wally said nothing.

"It…. It made us furious." Staring at the floor, David clenched his fists. "He intruded in our own private world, and we liked it. We loved it, and we could never go back to it. The spark of feeling it ignited in us was just enough to make our everyday life intolerable."

Thinking deeply, Wally cocked back his pistol and looked it over. "So… after this, when you get back to normal… It'll be even worse?"

"Probably." David nodded, looking back at him. Seeing Wally's grimace, he added. "Don't worry about it. You have no idea how happy we all are right now. Given another ten, fifteen minutes, and we'll hate the very memory of it, but right now, we're just happy to get the chance to do it again."

"Do what?"

"Fight. As the Kids Next Door." David stood up, sheathing his weapon. "We get a chance to fight as we once did, and remember, if only for a while, what it used to be like." There was a far-off look in his eyes. "You know what it is, Wally…? It's beautiful. The rush of adrenaline and the split-second decisions that make all the difference in the firefight, the feel of your comrades, moving beside you, and feel their hearts beat as yours…" David shook his head. "Even when delightfulized, it's a wonderful thing, the closest we get to emotion really. We remember each other, and the way we fought together. We may not remember much, but we know we belong together." He sighed. "And I hope we never let go of it."

"Oi know I don't plan to." Wally growled. "Mushi's gonna have a fight on her hands if she tries to put me through the mind grinder. I don't plan on losing my memories anytime soon."

"No?" David glanced over.

"No." Wally shook his head. "I plan to stick around and put her through that thing. Her and that stupid boyfriend of hers."

"What about afterwards?" David's voice was strangely penetrating. "What do you plan to do afterwards, Wally?"

Wally started to answer, then realized he didn't have one. What _was_ he planning to do? Since seeing that first message (it seemed so long ago), saying that he was a traitor and Kuki a prisoner, all his thought and energy had gone into clearing himself and freeing her. He had never considered what would happen once all that was done.

"Well…" He frowned in thought. "Have to make sure she's completely out, I suppose. Then get the KND back in order… new treehouses, clear out the sectors mebbe… get some plans underway for repairing all the damage…" He chuckled. "Guess I'll have to be Supreme Leader for a while…"

"For how long? You're a teenager." David frowned. "A teenager isn't allowed to even be in the KND, much less lead it."

"I don't know!" For some reason David's question annoyed Wally. "There've always been teenagers in the KND. It's just nobody knew about them. And anyway, someone needs to stick around and make sure some idiot like Sandy doesn't take over again." Huffing, he sank down in his chair. "Maybe we need some changes around here."

David eyed him but said nothing. An uncomfortable silence hung heavy over the SCAMPER, filled with only the hum of the motors and the click of the computers.

Finally, sighing, Wally looked up. "Say, there's something I've always wondered about you guys." He said. "You're good fighters, right? Best the KND ever had, or at least that's what they said in the academy." He squinted. "I think." Shaking his head, he returned to the subject. "Anyway, you were great fighters in your day, weren't ya? So how'd Father manage to capture you guys?"

David didn't answer right away. "He didn't capture us." He finally said. "We surrendered."

The proximity alert chose that precise second to begin blaring.

* * *

"_He can't do that!" Wally fumed as they turned from the Ice Cream truck. "Just turn around like he don't even cruddy know us! Supid cruddy little… 'Mr. Uno…'"_

_"Numbuh 4! How can you be so mean?"_

_"Mean? MEAN? He's the cruddy one being mean here!"_

_"Oh, c'mon Numbuh 4, the guy got hit with an age-ifying cigar. That's gotta do something to ya." Numbuh 2 snorted, glancing back to where Numbuh 5 was apparently having an argument with their former leader. "He couldn't join back in the KND now if he wanted to. Shoot, he's lucky the KND hasn't found out and decommissioned him yet."_

_"So? That don't change the fact that he's being an idiot!"_

_"Well… no." Hoagie frowned. "But see, the thing is, he can't hang with us anymore, or the KND would find out. That's why he's pretending he doesn't know us right now."_

_"Could still give us ice cream." Wally snorted._

_"Poor Numbuh 1." Kuki sniffed. "He can't play anymore! He has to stay in that borrrring Ice cream truck all day, and he doesn't even get to eat anything! He just has to WORK."_

_"Well, he doesn't have to." Hoagie admitted. "He could just go around and just play all day. That's what some adults do. You know Mr. Flapgut? I don't think he works at all, he just sits on his back porch and swats flies."_

_"Ewwww…" Kuki wrinkled her nose. "He's all gross and smelly. I don't like him."_

"_Yeah." Hoagie agreed. "So see, that's the thing with Numbuh… I mean, Nigel, right now. Being all old like that means he has to take on new stuff, like more chores and stuff. And he's a got ton more to do and keep track of. He's gotten old really quick, and now he needs to grow up to match his age."_

"_So what? That means he can't have fun anymore?" Wally growled. _

_Hoagie's expression changed. "Well, no." He admitted, glancing back. "Or, at least, I hope not. That would be pretty miserable. There's gotta be ways he can still have fun. He's just… y'know, being Nigel. Overreacting, sorta. He's overdoing the whole 'growing up' bit, trying too hard to be an adult."_

_"Adult." Wally snorted. "If that's being an adult, then I ain't never gonna grow up."_

_They watched as the Ice Cream truck drove away, leaving a frustrated Abby in its wake._

_"And if that's what bein' grown up does to Nigel…" A thoughtful expression appeared on Wally's face. "…then we should try ta get him back."_

* * *

"Those cruddy boys." Fanny hissed as Kuki tied a cloth around her arm. "Can't even shoot straight. Clean missed me head and went for the arm. It figures."

Kuki cocked a quizzical eyebrow. "You_ want _them to hit you?"

"Shut up." Fanny slumped back. "At least we gotta good position." She muttered. "They build these things like a bank vault, and they close all the exits. Course that's the other problem." She grimaced. "No way out. Jest perfect fer makin' a last stand!"

"Oh, c'mon, silly." Kuki picked up her own rifle. "We're not down yet. Even once they get through the barricade, we've got tons of hiding places here. And those cables running from the roof…" She gestured. "These things go up forever. We can keep retreating upwards and take out more and more of them."

"Aye, but they gonna keep coming. Can't hold out forever" As she stood, Fanny gave the Asian a funny look. "Say, since when're you the SMART one around here?"

Kuki shrugged. "I dunno. I've had a lot of time on my hands lately." She and Fanny began to fire from behind the crate. "Just… sorta grew up, I guess."

"Hmmph." Fanny did not seem inclined to comment. "Doesn't make much a difference, anyway. One way or another, we're going down." She sighed. "Ah hope I go down fighting, and that they keep me knocked out until it's all over. Be better than taking me alive, like they did to Lee back there." She grimaced. "I told him not to go running after Sonya like that."

"Oh, don't worry about it." Kuki patted her on the head. "He'll be fine. They're not going to do ANYTHING to those two while we're still in here, putting up a fight. Mushi wants us, not them; and so long as she's got a problem to deal with, she's not gonna put them through anything." She fired a few shots at the door and signaled to Shauny. "If we get taken down, THEN maybe she'll put us all through the mind grinder, but not before."

Fanny did not answer, and Kuki looked at her. "Why'd you decide to help us anyway?"

"You kiddin? Fanny ducked back as a fresh volley peppered the floor. "Shauny's my little brother. Ya think I'd let them do something like this to him?" She shot her a glare. "Ah'm not that Stupid. Ah got loyalties wid me family, and I don't turn on them."

"Well, duh." Kuki peeked around and sent some teddybears whistling toward the attackers. "But I mean, couldn't you convince Mushi to let him go? That woulda been a lot simpler."

"Oh sure." Fanny nodded. "She was all for it. Another black-op ninja working for her, it sounded great. Ah had no problem convincing her." She pushed some red hair from her eye and aimed. "The problem was convincin' Shauny."

"Huh?"

"He didna' want ta work with Mushi." Fanny sounded annoyed. "The one thing that she wanted, and he wouldn't go along w'it. I argued wit 'im for the longest time about it, but he didna' listen." She snorted, firing off a few more shots. "Stoopid boy."

Kuki grinned but said nothing.

"He kept ranting on about 'not giving up on his friends', and 'serving the Kids Next Door', and all sorts of stoopid stuff like that!" Fanny cried, turning on her friend fiercely. "I mean, who does somethin' like that after the thing's dead! Why stick by something that betrayed ye?"

A sudden torrent of gunfire kept Kuki from replying immediately. Then she said. "It's not Mushi's KND that he's sticking to."

Before Fanny could quite answer, a thunderous explosion, as from a great distance away, shook the base. Kuki looked away.

"What was that?"

* * *

"Move! Move! Move!" Wally screamed amidst the gunfire. "Press on! The freight elevator is right through those doors!"

"You heard the man!" David called from the front of the column. "Take 'em down!"

The guards put up a feeble resitance, but they were hopelessly outclassed. Sector Z fought with a harmony of violence, performing a graceful sort of battle among the security guards. Each weaved past the others in an effortless dance. With barely a word they leapt to help a struggling teammate, redouble the attack at a weak point, break in a seemingly random strike and then unite again in a decisive strike. They thought and moved as one, just as they had while Delightfuls.

Wally's heart swelled as he charged into battle alongside his new allies. He felt once again the drive of battle, the fast friendship of action. Once again he was part of a team, and not only a team, but a legendary team, of a bygone era. Stirring within him he felt something new and yet old, as if he fought once again in the KND, the older KND, that passed this false one that Mushi had erected.

With such friends, what feared he for enemies?

* * *

_"Woohoo! We showed those cruddy adults! Kids Next Door Rules!"_

_"Actually Numbuh 4, I believe we owe at least part of our thanks to Miss 'Lasso Lass.'"_

_"What, ah her?" Wally waved dismissively. "Just another cruddy adult. We coulda taken them without her." He snickered. "Didn't even have any good gear we could use…"_

_"Yeah!" Hoagie laughed from the front of the SCAMPER. "Oh man! That stuff looked like it was from the buh-millionth century! It's a wonder she managed to do ANY-thing with that… Ow!" Abby had just smacked him with her hat. _

_"In case y'all forgot?" She said, fixing them with a glare. "That 'Adult' with that 'buh-millionth century stuff' just saved our butts back there!"_

_"Well… she was doubtless helpful…" Numbuh 1 began, but Abby cut him off._

_"She was the doggone calvary! Wink and Fibb was beatin' the tar outta us before she showed up, an' if she hadn't helped us, They'd do it over again! Heck, we didn't even know where their base WAS!"_

_"Well…" Wally frowned. "Okay, but… she was still a cruddy adult!"_

_"That's right!" Nigel lifted his finger, as if this were a high and noble point. "An adult! Not even a former member of the KND! And therefore, helpful as she was…"_

_"Aw, will you cut the crud?" Abby glared back at the commander. "Look, KND or not, that there was a girl you can count on! Like one of us! She knows exactly what the Kids Next Door stands for, even if she ain't never been a member."_

_"Her equipment was still kinda…"_

_"That jest shows how much better she is, fool!" Abby turned on the hesitant Hoagie. "She may not have any fancy gun like what we got, but she can do just as good, and one better with that ol' rope of hers!"_

_Nobody said anything. There didn't seem to be a lot to say._

_"Tell ya what…" Abby grumbled, slumping back in her seat. "…She's one of the old school, the KND before there was KND. She's got all the spirit any operative needs and more. When Abby grows up…" She nodded. "…she hopes she's at least something like that girl there."_

* * *

"C'mon, move it!" The guard poked Sonya in the ribs and she stumbled forward a few steps.

"Not Cool." Lee gritted through his teeth.

"Shut up." The other guard poked HIM in the ribs. They were all moving down a cold, dark hallway, down to the solitary cells. "You move it too. We gotta get you two locked up so we can go back and help Mistress Mushi take down your friends in there. All you traitors…" The guard glared at him. "…causing so much trouble."

"But…" Sonya attempted to twist round.

"Shut up! Keep moving!" The guard ordered. "You're lucky we don't…"

A sudden movement made him glance up, just in time to see a small, dark figure come hurtling down from the rafters.

* * *

"C'mon, Sophie!" Lenny leaned under the closing door and grabbed the pig-tailed girl, sweeping her into the elevator. The door closed, and Wally heard the muffled thud of shells against it. Andy shoved at the lever, and the elevator shuddered into life.

"There'll be a reception party at the top." Wally grinned, shouldering his pistol. "If they don't freeze this thing in mid-travel."

"Not a problem. " David reached up to the ceiling. "That's what these emergency exits are for."

"They shouldn't cause problems anyway." Andy grinned. "Sounds like your girlfriends causing quite a rumpus elsewhere."

"She's not…" Wally gave it up. The entire sector was grinning at him.

David glanced down at his hand suddenly.

"What?" Wally frowned. The other operatives were eying him also.

"Its… nothing." David stared at his arm. "Nothing." He looked away a smile. "Just thought I felt… something."

The unspoken danger hung in the air. Andy punched his fist into his hand. Mandy closed her eyes and shivered. Sophie and Lenny exchanged glances. The change was coming. They could all feel it.

Unsuprisingly, Wally broke the silence. "How'd that—" he pointed. "—happen, anyway? You said you weren't beaten…"

"No." Andy glowered. "We were suckered."

"Nobody tricked us." Lenny shook his head. "Father told us very specifically of the risks involved, he said he couldn't be certain of the consequences. And he did say the effects would be permanent."

"He never said anything about this! Never!"

"Huh?" Wally looked from one to the other in confusion. "Father… what?"

"Father warned us." David sighed. "I told you, we did it ourselves. Father… or Ben, as we called him then, merely provided a way. We were in a tough spot. He came to us with an offer, and we accepted it."

Mandy hid her face in her hands. "We didn't know what we were doing."

"Maybe not." Sophie shook her head. "But we knew it was wrong."

Wally eyed them in disbelief. "What kind of dingo-deranged thing would make you go along with something like Delightfulization?"

There was a pause as the operatives glanced at each other, each apparently reluctant to clarify. Finally David shrugged, saying. "There were… a lot of reasons. None of them good, and all of them insufficient."

Wally rolled his eyes. "Like what?"

"Let's just say there were some things we loved a little too much." David shouldered his umbrella. "And we weren't willing to let go of them, even if we had to give up everything else." He heaved a sigh and looked at his downcast teammates. "We all made that mistake."

"All of you?" Wally was still puzzled.

"Sophie didn't want to." Lenny said. He raised a hand, stopping the pig-tailed girl's exclamation. "You didn't. You knew it was dangerous. You just did it for… for the team."

"Stupid." Sophie kicked the metal floor. "I could never leave you guys behind." She muttered.

A heavy silence hung over the cab, until Andy glanced at the meter.

"Our floor's coming up." He announced. Sector Z readied themselves. "We have a plan, boss?"

Wally grinned. "Yeah." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a clunky little remote. "Here's something I found in Numbuh 2's stuff."

* * *

"_Wow! So that's what we were doing at the Moon Base! It's a good thing Numbuh 1 and Tommy came to get us out."_

_"Huh! Cruddy girl shoulda known better than to trust a cruddy computer."_

_"Hey, Numbuh 4, didja hear?" Hoagie walked up, rubbing his head. " Numbuh 274 got out of the cell somehow."_

_"Oh…. Ah rats."_

_There was a short silence._

_"Aw, man, why'd he have to light out and betray us all like that? It… I mean, c'mon! He was the best of the best! The most awesome Operative ever! And he just… turns it over, tries to send us into the sun?"_

_"… Are you upset, Numbuh 4?"_

_"No! It's just…. Ah, Oi don't know. Kinda, I guess. I always looked up to the guy, y'know? Best cruddy fighter the KND had. Better'n me, even. I always hoped I could get up to his level. An' now he just turns on us..."_

_"I understand, Numbuh 4." Nigel placed a hand on his teammate's shoulder. "Believe me, I understand. I couldn't believe it either, when it hit me. But you have to…"_

_"How the crud could he turn on us like that!" Wally exploded. " Just because of some cruddy birthday party? Just because of some stupid… Just because he's turning cruddy thirteen? I mean… Oh never, mind."_

_"It's really sad how that happens all the time." Kuki sighed mournfully. "They get all grown up and big and meany." Her face formed into a pout. "It always happens…"_

_"Not to me!" Wally declared, thumping his chest demonstratively. "Ah'm gonna stick around my team! Ain't nothing gonna make me forget what I been through wid everybody here!"_

_"But you already did, silly!" Kuki giggled. "We all did, remember?"_

_"Ain't always such a matter of growing up." Abby spoke up. "Ya ask me, Chad just was having too much fun bein' leader and didn't wanna put it down like that." _

_"Possibly." Nigel sighed. "It doesn't make sense, still. I suppose he was just so devoted to the KND, he couldn't stand to retire like that. He just didn't want to lose the memories, the thrill of serving the KND…" he stopped and shook his head. "But that doesn't matter. In any case, he broke the rules."_

_"Well, the rules stink." Abby frowned. "But that ain't all he did. He turned on all a'us, letting the KND take us all down just so he didn't have ta face the music. That ain't just breaking rules, Numbuh 1. That's flat out betrayal, there. "_

_Nigel nodded. "Never thought Numbuh 274 would turn on his team like that."_

_There was a short moment of silence as everyone thought that over. Finally, Hoagie spoke up. "So…. My little brother made that rocket ship, huh?" He grinned at Nigel's nod. "Wow. That's pretty cool. Homemade 2x4 is pretty difficult to handle."_

_"There were… some glitches." Nigel winced. "But I was rather impressed."_

_"Abby saw it" Numbuh 5 cocked an eye at the two. "She can't believe you actually trusted yourself in that thing."_

_Nigel shrugged. "My teammates were in danger. You think I'd leave you guys behind?"_

_"Course not!" Wally grinned triumphantly. "Where you be without us, anyway? Dropped dead, that's where! An' someone like you never leaves their team behind."_

_"Of course not." Nigel smiled proudly. "How could I?"_

_It was a solemn moment._

_"HEEEY HOAGIE!"_

_The group winced collectively as a hyperactive six-year old ran up to them. "Wow, that was so cool the way Numbuh 4 jumped in and knocked the stuffing out of Numbuh 274! Hey, do you think now that I'm joining the KND, I can learn cool stuff like that too?"_

_Nigel did his best to smile. "Of course you can, Tommy."_

_"Yes!" Tommy jumped up and down excitedly. "Hey, when they put me in? I wanna be on your guy's team. Because you guys are soooo cool! I hope they put me in the exact same sector."_

_The sector winced collectively._

* * *

"Grab hold!" Kuki felt Fanny's arm sweep up under her stomach, pulling her up into the air as the door exploded inwards. They sped toward the ceiling, Kuki firing back at the troops spilling into the room. The central column sparked and crackled as shots ripped through the wires. Now they were amidst the cables, batting the thousands of entangling cords aside as they weaved through them. Finally the jet boots cut out, sending her and Fanny tumbling safely onto a catwalk high above the room.

"Ye okay?" Fanny asked, scrambling to her feet.

"Yup." Kuki attempted a bright smile. "Bad news though. I think they got Shauny."

"What?"

Fanny dashed to the edge but Kuki held her back. "You told Lee not to go after Sonya. Follow your own advice, silly."

"He's me brother." Fanny snarled at her. "You think I'm jest gonna…"

"I told you." Kuki hissed. "They're not doing anything to him until they get all of us. The only thing running out there'll do is make it that much faster."

Fanny glared at her, but slumped back.

"We've got a while." Kuki commented, glancing over the edge. "We're high up, and I'm pretty sure they can't see us. But they know we're up here, so they're gonna keep looking." She glanced over to Fanny. "How long do you think we have before they find out where we are?"

Fanny shrugged. "Ten minutes at least. It's hard to get up here unless you're a…"

"Ninjas!" They heard Mushi scream. "363! 12! Get up there and find them!"

Fanny winced. "Mebbe less."

"We can hold them off." Kuki cocked her rifle. "Wait until they're half-way up and then knock them out of the sky. The fall should…"

"Aye." Fanny came up alongside her. "But they'll know where we are. And then it's just a matter of time. We can't move around or take cover up here."

"So… this is it, then?" Kuki asked, her voice suddenly small.

"Looks like." Fanny nodded grimly. "Look, Kooks," She said, turning suddenly. "Ah know Ah've been a big pain and all, but I wanted to say… ah'm sorry for how ah treated you and your friends. Ye… ye've been a good friend, really. For everything I've done, betraying ya and locking your friends up and everything… ye've been a good friend."

Kuki smiled a great beaming smile. "What are friends for, silly?"

Fanny's mouth quirked upwards.

The roar of jetboots alerted them to danger, and the two looked over. "Right." Fanny ordered. "You take Harvey, I got…"

An explosion interrupted her as Wally and Sector Z charged into the room, guns blazing.

* * *

"Take 'em! Take 'em now!" Wally shouted, firing in every possible direction. 363 and 12 fell from the sky. He couldn't tell who had shot them, but at the moment he had other concerns. Mushi and her men were wheeling around, surprise written all over their faces. Catching sight of Sandy's pimply face, Wally sent a burst of mustard at him. Sandy tumbled over appreciably. "Break them up!"

Gunfire tore into the elites. Completely positioned to attack, they had nothing set up to defend themselves against the angry Australian and his friends. Troops wheeled, toppled, and fell. Some scrambled backwards furiously, making for the nearest possible shelter. In a torrent of fury, Wally charged at Mushi, but the little Minx had disappeared before he could catch her, and he was forced to duck back to avoid gunfire. "Kuki!" He yelled. "Where are you?"

* * *

"Ya gotta be kiddin me." Fanny muttered in disbelief. "That idiot of a boy actually CAME here?"

"He came." Kuki whispered, staring. "He actually came."

"He ain't gonna last five seconds down there." Fanny shook her head. "Your sis must have half a platoon in this place."

Kuki picked up her rifle decisively. "Well then, he needs some help."

Before Fanny could ask what that meant, the little Japanese girl had vaulted down to the battle below.

* * *

Wally grinned as he saw Numbuh 3 tumble down from the rafters, followed closely by a nervous Fanny. There they were.

He had no time to celebrate, though. Already Mushi's forces were reorganizing, preparing for a counter-attack. They needed to move quickly. "Go!" He shouted to David and the others. "To your positions! Just like we planned!"

Sector Z scattered, dashing furiously through the hail of fire that came out at them. Wally knew this was a risky move. The Splitting up like this rendered left their flank unguarded and made them easy to surround, but even alone, each operative was a whirlwind of death, scattering Mushi's "elites" to the four winds. And Wally had his own reasons for asking them to spread. He took a moment to fumble in his pocket.

The remote was still there, as well as the tiny scrap of paper with its mysterious instructions. The directions were horribly unclear, they didn't even say what they were supposed to be for. Maybe they weren't for anything, maybe Hoagie had just been toying with an idea that had never taken shape. It was a fragile hope, a desperate gamble, but from what Wally knew of Hoagie, it might just possibly be something that would save them.

With that thought in mind, Wally jammed the radio to his ear and dashed forward to meet Kuki.

* * *

Lenny ducked behind the side control panel, quickly running his fingers over the buttons… Password: YIPPER.

"Clear." He whispered.

* * *

Sophie knelt by the fusebox, wincing as a ice-cream shot caught her on the shoulder. A flick of her finger turned one switch on, the next shut the other switch off.

"Clear." She muttered.

* * *

Andy leapt onto the central column, Mandy a step behind him. His hand sought the dial, found it, turned it two clicks past the 'MAX' Setting.

"Clear." He nodded.

* * *

David was backed up against a computer bank, one hand wielding his umbrella with deadly efficiency, the other fumbling at a keypad on the bank. Beads of sweat stood out on his forehead as he pressed each button. K… A… L… E… D…

"Clear." He grinned, and charged at his enemies.

* * *

Wally heard the last "Clear" resound in his earpiece just as he reached Kuki. "C'mon, get up, get up!" He yelled at her.

She stared at him, uncomprehending. "You came…"

"Yeah, yeah, I came already. Let's get out of here!" Wally touched his earpiece. "Guys, get back to the door! Lay down some cover for me and Numbuh 3!" He turned back again. C'mon, we gotta get out of here!"

They dashed back across the empty floor, shots whizzing past. Fanny, close behind, fired right and left, keeping the Elites down. Kuki pressed close to him, hiding underneath his body as they ran. Out of the corner of his eye Wally could see Sector Z, also running to the door, assembling from their scattered positions. Under his coat he felt the cold of the remote. The door was right ahead, it was clear, it was clear…

And suddenly the enormous vault-like door slammed shut. David ran to the panel, pressing buttons furiously.

"It won't work."

Wally turned. All the gunfire had suddenly ceased, and Mushi's voice sounded quite clearly in the hard metal of the chamber. "It won't work, silly."

Sector Z assumed a defensive position as the Elites crept from behind their barricades, but not a shot was fired. All the weapons were aimed and primed, but the Elites seemed to be holding back. Wally had a feeling of unreality.

"I've disabled the locking mechanism on the door," Mushi appeared behind her men, atop an overturned crate, " and I'm the only person who can undo it."

Wally's finger's tightened around his pistol but he remained silent.

"Very good, Numbuh 4." She smirked, brazenly confident. "I really didn't think you'd be able to do this. Of course, I didn't think my sister was going to start a battle herself, but still…" She cocked her head. "…you're pretty good. I don't even know where you got these guys."

"Old friends." Wally gritted through his teeth.

"Hmmm." Mushi seemed to consider that for a moment, then shrugged. "Anyway, pretty good, but not worth much. I was kinda expecting you, y'see, so I rigged the door to go down like that, in case I needed to trap you in here." Smirking, she added. "Gotcha."

"Not yet, you don't." David's body tensed.

"Don't try anything, you silly boy." Mushi's voice, as ever, was sweetly dangerous. "Y'know, I have like, fifty troops in this room. I could take you guys out right now, except I kinda like this whole thing of playing with you."

"Pride. Underestimating." Kuki muttered. Wally did not bother to ask what that meant. He was already reaching beneath his coat.

"I don't play cruddy games." He said, bringing out the remote. "Especially with cruddy little girls like you. And especially when I don't need to."

Mushi squinted. "Huh? Whatcha got there?"

"Jest a remote that Numbuh 2 designed." Wally let a smirk of his own show. "Supposed to set off a reaction wave. Decommissions anyone within a forty-foot radius."

A faint murmuring could be heard in the Elite ranks. Mushi's eye's widened. "You're… you're kidding…" She shook her head. "You're lying!" She said defiantly. "Numbuh 2 never made anything like that."

"No?" Numbuh 4 lifted his hand threateningly. "Whaddaya say we find out?"

Quick as sight, Mushi gun shot forward and fired at the remote. Even quicker, David whipped in front of Wally, taking the shot himself. Everyone stared as the tall boy fell to the floor, clutching his shoulder.

"Not smart." Wally glared at the little girl. "Put that gun back, or I'm setting this whole room off."

Slowly Mushi's hand sank to her side.

"Your men too." Wally indicated.

The soldiers glanced up at Mushi, who nodded wordlessly, her eyes still fixed on Wally. They lowered their rifles, but stood tense, ready to spring.

"Now." Wally continued, feeling newly confident. "You're gonna tell us that passcode to open this door, and we're going to be leaving. As we step out I'll toss this back to ya, and then you can try it if you want."

"You just wanna leave?" Mushi eyed him narrowly. "But you're gonna come back, probably. What about then?"

Wally shrugged. "Ya ain't in a bargaining position." He raised his hand, and a slight gasp escaped the Elites.

Mushi, however, said nothing, and seemed curiously unmoved. She studied at him for a long, long moment as the gasps quieted and Wally's hand hung in the balance. Finally she spoke.

"You're not going to push that button."

"No?"

"Nah." She grinned suddenly. "You don't want to decommission yourself. "

Wally felt his heart stop. "Ah'd go through a lot to stop ya."

"Then why haven't you pushed it yet?" Mushi smirked at him. "You've got everybody in this room, all the major troops, the rogues, the leaders…" She indicated the room with a great sweep of her hand. "If you actually didn't mind, you'd just press the button now and be done. Instead, you're trying to trick me into opening the door so you can press it then."

Wally said nothing.

"Whaddaya think I am?" Mushi cocked her head. "An airhead or something? You don't wanna lose yourself. You just wanna take over, like me, cause you think no one else can do it better. You press that, you lose your chance."

"It ain't about the power."

"Sure, whatever." Mushi shrugged as if it made no difference. "But even so. What you gonna do? You came all this ways to save your girlfriend…" a light snicker broke from Sector Z, "…and you plan to just blank out yours and hers memory?" She smirked. "You're not gonna do THAT! You wanna keep moving! You're the great Numbuh 4, right? Last of Sector V. You just LOVE fighting! You love the KND! You press that button and decommission yourself, all that ends!"

Wally's hand started to creep downward.

"Y'know." Mushi's voice was beginning to regain its swagger. "Even if you hadn't found out about me and everything? You know, if you still were all loyal and didn't want to take me down? I still don't think you'd go along with decommissioning."

"Wally…" The strained tone in David's voice made Numbuh 4 look down. David's hand was convulsing. It seemed to be getting paler.

"You see, you're just too much of a kid." Mushi gestured. "You're stupid, you like fighting, and you're afraid of girls. And you don't wanna be an adult. There's something in the files…" She stopped to think a minute. "…about an adult version of you, that came back from the future or something… ah, I forget. Anyway, you were old, but you still wanted to be a kid. And you still had your memories. So see, I don't think you'd do this to yourself. Willingly, I mean."

"No. You want to be a kid. Shoot, you want to stay a kid. Whatever comes, you don't leave the KND, and you don't wanna be a teenager." Mushi shrugged. "Even if it weren't for your whole 'must save the KND' thing you got going, you wouldn't want to."

"So you see…" She smiled, unholstering her pistol. "I really don't think you're gonna push that button. You don't wanna grow up."

* * *

"_Promise to me that you'll never grow up, even if you grow to be a hundred years old, you'll still be a kid at heart, okay?"_

* * *

Wally's hand sank lower, heedless of Sector Z and the way they were clustering tighter and tighter

"Ah made a promise…" He whispered.

* * *

"_Stop acting like such a baby, Numbuh 4." Abby kept her arms crossed. "You haven't done anything asides fight since Nigel disappeared. Just staying up here, ignoring everybody, yellin' at anybody that tries to talk sense into you… Seriously, you're whining and pouting here like a little six-year old. Ya need to learn to…"_

_"To what!?" Numbuh 4's eyes were burning. "Grow up? Is that what you were thinking? I need to grow up?" He half-stood. "In case you fergot, we made a promise to somebody that we wasn't ever gonna do that!"_

_Abby stopped, her eyes slightly widened. Her arms uncrossed._

_"Never mind that it's gonna happen anyway." Wally snorted, throwing up his hands. "Never mind that in a year or two, we're all gonna be but through the mind grinder and fergit each other, fergit what's happened, fergit him, heck, even the promise!" He was pacing back and forth now, in tiny, furious circles. "Never mind that! We gotta job to do, and we gotta do it until they decide we've done enough."_

_Abby stared at him, absolutely silent. Her hands were trembling at her sides._

_"It don't even…" Wally slumped back down into his chair. He looked at her, eyes still burning. "It don't… don't even matter what we do! Nigel was the best of us! Nearly as good as me! And look at him now! Gone!" He slammed his fist into the desk. "No matter what we do, we're all gonna grow up someday, and then what's the good of all this crud? Huh?" He looked at her once more. "But never mind that. "WE gots our orders. And we follow our orders, no matter what that means to our friends." His eye fixed her. "Ain't that right, miss LEADER?"_

_It occurred to Abby, somewhere in her mind, that she should say something uplifting at this point. Something that would cut to the heart of the matter, and remind Numbuh 4 of the entire purpose of the KND._

_But nothing came to mind._

_Slowly, Numbuh 5 backed up to the door, opened it, and disappeared down the stairs, looking very much like the little girl she was_.

_

* * *

  
_

"Wally!" The call jolted him out of his reverie and he looked down at David. David's hands were contorting, and his eyes had a strange shade of blue, but he still seemed master of himself. "Listen to me, Wally! Don't make the same mistake we did!"

_What?_ Wally paused.

David nodded, his eyes grim. "Years ago, when we were still Sector Z, we went to Father, Ben as he was called then, and asked him for help. Andy was approaching his thirteenth birthday, and soon to be decommissioned."

"We were a team. We didn't plan to be split up. But we loved the KND, and we loved fighting adult tyranny. We wanted to keep doing that, and we didn't want to become adults. So we went to Ben, who was a respected scientist. He told us that he had a way to make us stay kids forever, to remain young, and never grow old. But there might be side effects."

Wally's eyes grew wide. He had heard that Sector Z was an old sector, around before even Abby had joined, but had not thought how…

"Now do you understand?" David winced suddenly as a wave of Delightfulization energy lanced through him. "For years we have remained children, gathering birthdays but never getting older. That's why our memory is gone, why we can only focus on the present, so that we can never change, never grow older. We've tried. Deep in us we've tried, dressing like adults, acting like adults, trying to seem older than we are… But we're still kids. Deep inside, we're kids, in all the wrong ways. Selfish and petty."

David screamed as the another wave of energy tore through him. Behind him, Wally could hear the echoes of the other members screaming. Fanny was backing away from the brilliant circle, even the Elites and Mushi were looking scared.

"Th… Things change, Wally." David looked up once more with a forced grin. "It's just the way things are. You've already grown, some, in getting this far. You've gotten smarter, harder, and gentler, just in the last few months. In some ways, you're less a kid than you were. But there are ways, so many ways then I can tell you, in which you can stay a kid."

"So make a choice, Wally. Do you want to grow up?"

* * *

"_What kinda cruddy idiots would go against the KND anyway?" Wally fumed. "I mean… Stickybeard and the other's Ah can at least respect. If you're gonna fight a guy, stand up and fight against him, man ta man. But this… these guys are just traitors. No loyalty for nothing"_

"_Traitors are unfortunately common enough, Numbuh 4." Nigel nodded. "But they usually are loyal to something. Some just to themselves, but some also to their friends, or their sector. Some would even say they ARE loyal to the KND, just not in the way we think of it." _

_Wally considered this a minute. "Nah. They're just traitors."_

"_Traitors to what?" Nigel looked at Wally in an odd manner. "When you broke protocol to return me to my normal age, was that betrayal? When I went against the KND to go and save you from decommissioning, was I a traitor? When Tommy quit the KND to foil Father's plan, was he a traitor?"_

_Wally fell silent for a moment, considering._

"_For that matter…" Nigel seemed unusually thoughtful at the moment. " When Eizzel helped you defeat Negative Numbuh 4, was she betraying her friends? When I grew older, if you had obeyed protocol and let me go, would that have been betraying me? Or suppose…" And here his face grew more thoughtful still. "Suppose we were all grown, and we were powerful. Like say I was president or something. And suppose we wanted to destroy the KND. Would it be wrong to do so? Would we be betraying it? Strictly speaking, we would no longer be members. Practically, as adults, we would be enemies anyway. Our only loyalty would be to each other. Supposing, then, that one of us turned against the others, and tried to save the KND, would that be betrayal? Or would it be to the greater loyalty of the KND, do you suppose?"_

"_That's an awful lot of supposing." Numbuh 4 growled._

"_Well, yeah". Nigel shook himself out of his reverie. "But the point is, you need to decide what you're loyal to. Find out what, really, sets you to do the things you do. Are you loyal to the KND? You may end up betraying your friends. Are you loyal to your friends? You may end up betraying the KND. Or are you loyal to what KND stands for, and what your friends stand for? You may end up betraying both that way, but only if they betray what they stand for. And if they do, it will be because they have found a loyalty to something else, even if it's only to themselves." Nigel frowned in thought. "That's why you need to know where you stand and where your allegiance lies, because loyalty to one thing may mean betrayal to something else."_

"_So, Wally." Numbuh 4 looked up to see Numbuh 1 smiling. "Who are you loyal to?"_

* * *

Wally pressed the button.

A shot rang out, and the remote fell from his hand, but it was too late. Already the claxon was sounding. "_Ten seconds to chamber immersion_."

"Chamber… chamber immersion!?" Mushi stepped back, her face suddenly that of a small girl. "Get them! Get to the door, quickly!"

"_Nine seconds to chamber immersion_."

Sector Z, still in the throes of delightfulization, stood to their feet, but withered under the blast of the Elites. Fanny, flying high above, fired down at them, but could not last long under their blistering salvo.

"_Eight seconds to chamber immersion_."

Wally did not even waste a shot on the Elites, he simply turned and fired at the door control panel.

"_Seven seconds…"_

Wally leapt away as the soldiers came at him, jumped off a crate, and landed with a satisfying thump right in front of Mushi. He enjoyed the look of absolute terror on her face before he knocked her down to the floor.

"_Six seconds…"_

The Elites, leaderless, were pounding on the door, shouting fruitlessly for it to open. Wally paid them no heed, but ran to a crumpled green mound on the floor.

"_Five seconds…"_

"Hey Kooks, you okay?"

She smiled, sitting up and brushing her hair back. "You came..."

"Of course I cruddy did." He frowned at her. "Ah never leave a mate behind."

"You silly…" She just smiled at him.

"_Four seconds_…"

Wally glanced around. The desolation seemed to be pretty complete. The elites were still pounding on the door, but Mushi lay in a heap, and Sandy was slumped against one of the barricades, groaning. Sector Z, lying on the floor in a swiftly tightening circle, looked up and gave him a thumbs-up as one.

A thought occurred to Wally. "Uh…. You know, Kuki… since we ain't… you know, going to remember any of this…"

"_Three seconds_…"

"There's uh… well there's… there's been something… something I've been meaning to tell ya…"

"Like what?" Kuki looked at him innocently.

"_Two…_"

"Well… it's… it's uh… That is… I mean…"

"_One._"

"Aw, what the cruddy heck," said Wally, and grabbing Kuki, kissed her.

And then the column erupted in a blinding flash of white, and its fire was everywhere, all throughout him, coursing through his brain…

Sweet oblivion.

* * *

_"Whoah, whoah." Wally stared at Numbuh 1 disbelievingly. "So Numbuh Zero is your DAD? That guy? The whole 'fishing' and 'sousaphone' and all that stuff? Mr. Clueless who can't…"_

_"Will you please stop that." Nigel groaned._

_"But your dad is so TOTALLY Numbuh Zero!" Wally jumped up in glee. "That's cruddy awesome! And I mean, I woulda never thought it, what with how cruddy stupid he acts all the time. He's worse than mine, even! A' all the stupid adults, I woulda said he was the stupidest!"_

_Nigel did not answer._

_"Must be something, what decommissioning does to a person." Wally glanced over Nigel's shoulder at a pile on his desk. "Hey! That the broken recommissioning thingie? You tryin' to put it back together? Cause I bet…"_

_"No, I'm not." Nigel sighed. "It's just… I'm just thinking, that's all. They remind me of someone."_

_Wally tried to figure that out, but quickly gave it up. "So… he give you any cool gadgets? Any nifty tips? Any 'cruddy awesome tricks from the master?'"_

_"No… well, yes." Nigel shook his head. "He taught me to stick by my team. And he taught me how to use your enemies. And he taught me…" Nigel's gaze softened a moment. "…how to grow up."_

_Wally glanced up. "Huh?"_

_"My dad's grown up, Numbuh 4. Grown up for good. And he said he needed to." Nigel gazed at his desk, distracted. "He broke this himself, you know."_

_"Huh?"_

_"I don't… I'm not sure I understand." Nigel seemed to be talking to himself, more than to Wally. "I've never… I guess I've never really considered what happened after KND. How life went on. But my dad… he went there, and back, and back again. He returned to that life. No one arrested him, he decided to grow up." _

_"Decided!" Nigel shook his head, bewildered. "How… why? No one DECIDES to grow up. How many operatives does Fanny have just to take care of those who'd rather die than do that? But he… Numbuh 0, who knows better than any of us what adult tyranny is… he chooses to grow up. Chooses to give up all his skills, memories, and gifts, so he can become my dad."_

_"That's weird." Wally nodded, unconsciously breaking in at the worst possible second. "He stops being awesome Numbuh Zero and turns into clueless…"_

_"Shut up." Nigel closed his eyes. "I can't understand it. But he did decide that. And that's what I can't understand. Numbuh 74.239… he told me once that adulthood was a disease… or something, I can't quite remember what. But if adulthood is a disease, how can the greatest operative choose to take it back?"_

_Wally couldn't think of anything to say. This conversation had really gone past him._

_"No, adulthood is not a disease, but it's dangerous. Our worst enemies are adults. So then, when you grow up… no, that's not right either." Nigel sighed in frustration. "I just don't get it!"_

_There was a long moment of silence, and finally Nigel spoke again. "Maybe… maybe our worst enemies aren't really adults, but adults that never grew up. Adults that act like children. Or, sometimes, children that pretend they're adults. I guess… there must be something about growing up—something I can't understand yet, because I 'm still a kid—but something important. And in a way, something that KND helps you prepare for. Because it helps you be a kid as a kid, so in a way…" Nigel frowned. "Does it make you grown up as an adult? Is KND really just preparation for being an adult? Does it…. Ah, I don't know." Nigel shook his head, frustrated. "I can't figure it out. I'm just a kid still. But I won't be always."_

_ "You're only a kid once, Wally." Nigel turned on Numbuh 4 as if suddenly remembering him. "But when that 'once' is over… you need to grow up. Get out, get a job, get married, become a dad. And that's what it's really about." Nigel shook his head again. "He said it. He said he needed to complete the most important mission of his life. Being a good father. I think… I think that's what growing up is. It's not the end. It's just the last, greatest mission a KND operative has."_

* * *

With a loud squeal, the vault-like door swung open, admitting four small figures. On the threshold they stood and stared at the devastated room.

"Cooooool."

"Lee, this is kinda serious." Sonya admonished.

"He's right." Shauny rubbed his chin. "It IS pretty cool. Numbuh 4 really tore this place up."

"Well, find him already!" Said the last figure. "We need to figure out…"

"He's over here." Running forward, Sonya knelt by one of the fallen forms. "Right next to Numbuh Three. Looks like they…" Her voice stopped. "Ummm…"

"Sonya? What is it?"

"… Uh… nothing…"

Lee was staring about dispassionately. "There's Mushi." He said, pointing. "And Sandy. Troops all down too." His eyes glinted. "Must've been a cooool fight..."

"Fanny! I found Fanny!" Shauny's voice interrupted. "She's kinda shot up, but she looks okay." He frowned. "Actually, she's smiling. Looks sorta freaky…"

"Hey!" Sonya was moving around again. "Look at these guys!"

"Who are they?"

"I dunno. I never seen them before." Sonya studied the group, curious. "There's like five of them, all huddled in a circle over here. And they're wearing funky clothes. Like… I dunno, real old KND stuff." Suddenly noticing something, she dropped to her knees. "Oh, the tall guy! There's a tall guy here, and he's hurt real bad! Looks like someone shot him in the shoulder."

"Get some medics in here." Snapped the fourth figure, apparently to someone outside. "And call off the others. Doesn't look like there'll be much of a fight," He added, under his breath. "They've all been decommissioned."

"Decommissioned?" Sonya's voice sounded incredulous. "How could they all be…"

"I dunno." The figure's wide-brimmed hat shook from side to side. "But they are. Numbuh 4 must've had some secret weapon in reserve or something."

Shauny looked up from his sister. "Whooaah." He thought about that for a moment. "Can we… do anything? I mean, to help them?"

"Don't think so." The hat shook again as the figure made its way across the floor. "The only recommissioning device was destroyed by Numbuh Zero during the battle with Grandfather." Silently he bent next to Numbuh 4. "Nope. They're all gone for good. Nothing we can do for them now."

"Then…" Sonya's voice was hesitant. "Whadda we gonna do, Tommy? I mean, the Supreme Leader's gone, the Global Tactical Commander, the Head of Decommissioning… What do we…"

"We're just gonna have to do it ourselves." Tommy stood erect.

"How?" Shauny sounded doubtful. "The treehouses are gone, the moonbase nearly been destroyed, and half the sectors have been knocked outta commission."

"We'd need to start over… from scratch." Sonya pointed out. "New operatives, new bases, new rules...And we don't really… I mean… Who's gonna help us? You know… tell us what to do? None of us know how 2x4 tech works, or how the operatives are selected, or…"

"Oh, I know all that stuff." Tommy waved his hand. "I can help you out with that."

"Really?" Sonya glanced at the boy, her eyes wide.

"Sure." Tommy shrugged. "My brother told me all sorts of things about this place."

"And… and…" Sonya was still grasping this fact. "And you think you can fix all this stuff? Get the Sectors together, fix the treehouses, take out the traitors and find new operatives… pretty much start the KND all over again?"

Tommy scratched his head. "I think so. You guys can help me too, right?"

There was a momentary silence. The four kids looked at each other.

Slowly, they nodded.

"Well then!" Tommy grinned from ear to ear. "Let's get started. We've got some Reworking to do!"

* * *

**A/N: **Woohoo! Main story complete! I have an epilogue or two to post up here, but they won't be nearly as long as this one (I think this is the longest chapter yet, it was 19 pages on my computer.), and they won't take as long to post, (its been what, one month? Two?), and mostly it will be wrapping stuff up, like finding out who the narrator is. I think I have one or two surprises waiting, certainly one big one.

**REVIEW!** Just because it's the end doesn't mean you should stop reviewing! For one, it gives me feedback on how to improve my writing or how to focus on my audience better. For another, it makes me happy. For three, it gives you power over what I write. That segment at the end, where Wally kisses Kuki came in because of DarkXRachel. I was thinking of some kind of admission, but kissing hadn't occured to me. So reviews can change the world!

Speaking of which, I'd like to thank all of you for helping me get through this story. Writing is its own reward, sure, but it's a lot of work too, and knowing that people appreciate what you do is a huge motivation to keep doing it. This may be the last story I do for a while--I've got some other projects that need to be worked on and some big classes coming up--but I want to thank all of you for the reviews and feedback.


	19. Postlude

_There you are. The rest is history (such as it is.) _

_ Mushi and Sandy, though already decommissioned, were officially turned out of the KND. I, Numbuh T, formerly of Sector V, became the new Soopreme Leader and the architect of the Reworking. Sector W helped me gain power and support from the various sectors, not a terribly difficult task, since everybody had been sick of Sandy already. The main protest was that I had already quit the KND once, but given my track record, most people were willing to over look that. And as the Sooper-Incredibly-Big-Computermabob had been destroyed from the inside (though at the time we did not understand how), the genetic dataase had been destroyed, and there was nothing to keep me from re-entering the KND._

_The Reworking took a long time. The new Sooper-Incredibly-Big-Computermabob was built and all the KND operatives had to be re-registered in the system. The treehouses were regrown, courtesy of some seeds supplied by Sector Amish; and filled with operatives both old and new. Sonya became the new Global Tactical Officer, Lee the new head of the Arctic Training Facility, and Shauny filled his sister's position as the new head of decommissioning. _

_I've heard the wild stories about what happened to Numbuh 4, Numbuh 3, and the long-lost Sector Z. That is another rumor I must disperse. They were, like any other decommissioned operatives, quietly returned to their ordinary lives. Ordinarily, we do not observe operatives after they have left, but in this case, we felt it only prudent to keep tabs on them. So I am now able to present the heroes of the Reworking, as they live today._

_Numbuh 3, now known only as Kuki Sanban, has become a stickler, a perfectionist even, at Gallagher High School, where she is studying Business Management. She and her sister do not get along, but neither knows quite why._

_Numbuh 4, or Wallabee Beatles, has surprised all his teachers with his newfound critical-thinking skills, and is currently at the head of his class. He has become quite sociable and even humorous, a coping mechanism, perhaps. Occasionally he bores his friends with theories of the synchronity of meaning between "veterinarians" and "veterans", and the possible…_

_Sector Z's fate is complex._

_The KND had no record of their original families or any other data regarding their past, partly due to the Computermabob's destruction. Studies on the delightfulization machine captured from Father's mansion revealed that it could not affect decommissioned operatives, so in the end we decided to return them to his care. Father, who had lost interest in the KND as he became obsessed with the pursuit of his nephew, never understood the sudden change that came over his "Delightful's", and was occasionally heard to mutter that they caused him more trouble than "those brats at KND" ever had._

_But the children, freed from their delightful selves and possessing (at best) troubled memories, could not long remain under a man so obviously not their father. David remained until college to take his own house, but some, such as Lenny and Andy, ran away from home after the first year or so. The children now live separate, but happy lives in the town, and stay in constant contact with each other. They know now, of course, that they are not related to each other, a fact which has had some… interesting effects._

_Some people may consider such mundane lives a poor reward for such great deeds. However, as I myself prepare to step down as Soopreme Leader and undergo decommissioning, I feel it is not a bad life that awaits me. Times change, and we change with them, yet somehow we remain the same. The Kids Next Door has been completely redone, perhaps for better, perhaps for worse… who can tell? Not I. Yet its basic mission remains the same. Perhaps it is also the same for children, that as they grow they change, and yet remain utterly themselves. I feel it is time for me, like so many others, to move on, and start a new life._

_At the beginning of this narrative, as prologue, I transcribed the well-known note written by Kuki moments before she was led to the decommissioning chamber. She, of course, meant the Reworking that she thought was taking place, that of her sister's domination over the KND. This note, in fact, is where the name for our own Reworking came from. But I need not dwell on facts you are already aware. The point is that we must remember the past. Willing or not, I remain bound to the legacy of Sector V and their great deeds. And so that future generations shall not forget it either, I have compiled this history of the Reworking, so operatives for years to come may read it and recall how once the fate of the KND rested upon a thread, one so slight that even those in it could not see how it would end._

_Even as I write these words, I begin to wonder… Was the thread as slight as we thought? Did so many things, that could have gone wrong so many ways, happen right by accident? A thousand times might the KND have fallen and yet somehow… it survived. I do not believe in coincidences. Present turns to past, and future to present, and sometimes there is not much difference. All time is connected, and no one moment stands apart from the others. I wonder if, one day, we shall step outside the wheel of time and see the weaver that holds the threads._

_

* * *

  
_

**A/N**: Hah! Bet you weren't expecting such a quick update, were you? I had this mostly written already, but I thought I should space out the last three chapters some.

So we learn who the mystery narrator is at last. I must apologize for the insertion of Kuki, lots of probably thought it had to be someone in the sector. The simple truth is I hadn't quite decided who the narrator was when I started, I just knew I wanted one. I think I decided it would be Tommy when I got to the third chapter, but obviously I couldn't change the earlier chapters. So go ahead and yell at me... I deserve it.

Incidently, keep reviewing. It's kinda strange, I know... the story's pretty much over, but they are still helpful. I want to know what you think of the work as a whole, and if you felt satisfied with the ending. Eric the Looney and Nyridian... thank you. You've given me a good understanding of how the story stands as a whole.

These last chapters may seem unnessecary, but they give a feeling of closure. Lots of people were wondering about the narrator, and the only way I could answer them was with another narration. And I had to tell what happened to Sector Z. I think the last chapter will be... satisfying.


	20. Perpetuation

Once again the four dark shadows were gathered around the luminous table. Red light glinted upwards to meet their faces. One pale shadow with white hair that hung about his face, just barely hiding the glint of sunglasses. One dark shadow, also with shades, who constantly sat contemplating the board before him. One shadow with a mass of curly hair above and the glint of braces below. And one tall, dark shadow that sat, silent and ominous at the head of the table.

Once again it was the dark shadow that spoke first. "Well. That seems to have gone without a hitch."

"Indeed, Numbuh Infinity." The tall shadow nodded. "Numbuh T went through decommissioning without any difficulties whatever."

"I don't see why you always make such a big deal about this." Braces glinted in a frown as the third shadow spoke. "Every time we get a potential candidate, you insist we wait until they are decommissioned before we approach them. And every time it goes perfectly fine. Why all the fuss?"

"I agree." Numbuh Infinity said. "It seems unnecessary. We have never had a problem with our operatives."

"Numbuh 74.239 and you tend to only remember the successes." The tall shadow inclined his head. "Numerous 'potential operatives' have actually failed this last test, which, as you know, would make their work with us impossible. The fact that we have never had problems is a testament to the system's strength."

* * *

_"Hey Abby."_

_"Yo sis." The slim teenager grinned at her sister. "What's up?"_

_"Not much." Cree replied, flopping to the couch. "Taking a break from chemistry. Can't understand that stuff for the life of me. All equations and boiling points and conversion rates."_

_"Yeah, I hear ya." Abby nodded. "I ain't never had no head for that stuff neither. Too complicated."_

_"Yeah, but at least you got that one chubby weirdo to help you out." A grin curved Cree's mouth as she continued. "What's his name again? Hogarth? Higgins?"_

_"Hoagie." Abby coldly ticked off some answers in her history book. "And he ain't a wierdo, Cree."_

_"If you say so. Sure seems like it sometimes, though." Cree arched a mocking eyebrow. "He must've followed us for like two weeks, telling us all sorts of corny jokes and stuff. And THEN he asked you out, though at least you had enough sense to turn him down. But this tutoring business now... I don't know, Abby. I think..."_

_"I know what you think, and ya can stop thinking it." Abby threw a glare in her sister's direction. "It's just common sense. I need hel.p in Physics, an' he's the biggest brain in the class. That's all there is to it. Nuthin' more. He ain't the type to try any moves on me."_

_Cree laughed. "Whatever. I suppose it's not all bad. I'm getting a little used to his jokes, and he seems to behave himself all right while he's here." She allowed herself a sly grin at her sister. "He's kinda cute, actually."_

_"Cree, I swear..."_

_"Oh, keep your pants on, sis." Cree waved it away. "I'm just kidding ya. Tell him I said hi when he comes by tonight."_

_"Oh? Where you gonna be?" Now it was Abby's turn to smirk. "Oh wait. Maurice picking you up tonight?"_

_"Not that's any of your business, but yes, he is." Speaking in as unconcerned a tone as possible, Cree stood and brushed off her pants. "He should be here in an hour, to take me to that burger place down the street, and then we're going to see a movie. And that's all we're doing, so you can stop wiggling your eyebrows like that."_

_Abby laughed. "Whatever. Have a good time, sis." The cell phone on the table suddenly began to ring._

_"You sure get a lot of calls." Cree noted, as Abby picked up the device._

_"What can I say?" Abby shrugged. "Abby's a busy girl."_

* * *

"Hmph." Numbuh 74.239 folded his arms and glared at the screen. "Don't see what's so important about this last test anyway. What's the point of taking away their memories if we just pop them right back in?"

"The willingness to give them up." The pale shadow finally spoke, leaning somewhat into the light. Long white hair hung from either side of his face, and the red light glowed against blue sunglasses. "Their willingness to renounce the memories, and with them, the world of the Kids Next Door, implies that they are ready to face the new challenges and responsibilities of the real world." He paused a moment to push his glasses up his nose. "We give them their memories back to aid them in their new responsibilities, not to return them to their old childishness. We remind them what it is like to be a child so that they can better become an adult."

"You're just plain weird, Numbuh 7." Snorted Numbuh 74.239 "Being an adult is a disease, a slow one, but one there nonetheless. It deadens children so they can no longer have fun. It ruins their innocence, and it makes them unbearably arrogant."

"Being an adult, in the sense of being pompous, strict and unyielding, is certainly a disease." Numbuh 7 mused, leaning over the table and studying it. "An adult who remembers nothing of the joy and wonder of being a child is a truly sick person. But a child who remains selfish and petty, bound to no one but himself, is by no means well."

"True." Numbuh Infinity nodded. "That is our purpose, is it not? We who watch… we who guide… We guide children toward the larger world of adulthood, even as we remind adults of their origins. We stand as the mediators, between two worlds."

"Not two worlds." Numbuh 7 frowned. "It is one world, of which the other two are distortions."

* * *

_The sunglasses might have been strange on anyone else, but on her they looked... fitting, somehow. It was a shame they hid her eyes, of course, but they leant her an air of mystery, of detachment. Only he knew that she was anything but.  
_

_The sunglasses glanced up as he came up to the table. "Lenny!" She exclaimed with surprise. "What're you doing here?"_

_With a shrug, Lenny pulled up a chair. "Needed a place to study, and the park seemed as good as anywhere. Plus, I thought I'd find you here."_

_"Beats my apartment." Sophie seemed a little nervous. "And it's nice to come here after work and just watch all the kids playing."_

_"Yeah." Lenny nodded, gazing at the playground, where a crowd of six-year-olds were running about. "Sorta brings back... well, not really memories, but... well..." He fumbled for words. "You know."_

_Sophia did not reply, and the two sat in silence, watching the play of the children. Lenny's eyes narrowed thoughtfully at a certain pair playing cops and robbers, who were running between the trees and pretending to shoot each other. _

_Shaking it off, he turned to Sophie. "So... the daycare work still going well?"_

_"Well enough." She shrugged noncommittedly. "A little boring, but the kids keep you moving. And the pay is helpful." She raised an eyebrow at him. "What about you? How's college treating you?"_

_"Piece of Cake." Lenny grinned. "Some of the differential stuff is confusing, but I'm pretty sure I should pick it up soon enough. And my roommates are good... they keep to themselves pretty much and don't bother me. And, of course, David hangs out there too, so it's sorta nice."_

_"That's good." There was another short pause, then she asked. "Heard from any of the others?"_

_"Just Andy." Lenny shrugged. "He dropped by last Thursday to talk to us."_

_"Andy?" Sophie's voice showed her confusion. "What about?"_

_Lenny did not answer right away. He was frowning at the table, as if he was not certain what to say. Finally, with a sigh, he looked up into Sophie's eyes. "He's thinking of asking Mandy out."_

_"What!?" Sophie swung around to face an obviously uncomfortable Lenny "He's... He's... But... she... What's he thinking?"_

_"I know, I know." Wilting from the declaration, Lenny held up a placating hand. "I know, and so does he. That's what he came to talk to me and David about. He said he's wanted to for a long time, but never did because... well, y'know. But lately it's been getting worse, and he wanted our advice." He looked at Sophie's face and winced. "Strictly speaking, it's not so bad, you know. I mean, we looked up the adoption records. None of us are actually related."_

_"Well..." Sophie huffed. "No... but still! I mean, even if we aren't... it's not really wrong, I guess but... isn't it illegal or something? And how awkward would that be, to..." She shook her head and sighed._

_For a moment there was silence. Lenny sat on the edge of his seat, throwing nervous glances at Sophie every so often. Sophie simply sat, apparently thinking very hard, and shaking her head occasionally._

_Finally, she sighed again and looked squarely at Lenny. "What'd you tell him?"_

_"Pretty much what I told you." Lenny glanced away, the sunglasses were too intimidating. "I told him it's not really wrong, and from all I could tell, it's not even illegal, considering how we all left Dad last year and filed that suit. It's wierd, sure, but..." He shrugged. "That's never really stopped any of us before."_

_Sophie nodded reluctantly._

_"David agreed, too." Lenny continued, studying the tabletop. "He said, for all we know, Father didn't even raise us together. I mean, we don't really remember... so we don't even really have the shared memories thing. Essentially, we're just five strangers who lived in the same house for the past year."_

_"Except that that's obviously not all we are." Sophie glared at him. "You know, my psychologist doesn't know what to do with me. She can't explain half the things I say, or any of the dreams I have. And the neighbors DID say we lived there for many years."_

_"Sure." Lenny nodded, shamefaced. "But anyway, the point is, intrinsically, that's all we are. We aren't related by blood, and not really even by memories, though that's not even a legitimate problem. So, there's nothing really in the way, except for..."_

_"It's wierd." Sophie finished for him._

_"Yeah." Lenny nodded, relieved "See, its easy for David to talk about it so detached like that, because he doesn't have to work it out himself." He snorted. "Shoot, he's probably the only one of us who isn't going to have this problem."_

_Sophie froze. "Wait, what?"_

* * *

"We stray from the main question." The tall shadow spoke. "Shall we induct Numbuh T as our newest operative? I wait to hear from the rest of you."

"I dunno." Numbuh 74.239 frowned. "He's smart enough, but he obviously likes to be famous and in control. He always wants to be older than he really is. He might easily give us away, or he could turn all arrogant."

"Eh, I don't think so." A stocky teenager stepped into the light, the red light gleaming off his goggles. "He's like that, sure, but it's because he always sees himself as being small and unimportant. And he has a very strong imagination. He sees every day as new and fresh, and he wants to move toward it."

"That is what concerns me." Adjusting his sunglasses, Numbuh Infinity frowned contemplatively. "He is always living for the moment and looking to the future. He has no time to focus on the present. And as you say, he is lost in a world of his own. Does he have the commitment and the ability to take on the responsibility we would give him?"

"You kiddin'?" Another figure appeared on the edge of the light, eyes shaded by her baseball cap. "The kid been leading KND for the past four years! He ain't just been twiddling his thumbs this whole time. Obviously he got the ability to manage responsibility, and obviously he can make the sacrifices we want him to. He's got commitment, and a whole lotta sense."

"Interesting." Mused the pale shadow of Numbuh 7. "But will he join, do you think? Will he be willing to do as you four have done, and join the final ranks of the KND? He will be able to live his life as usual, of course—grow up, go to school, meet friends—he will still be able to do that. But he would be able to do that without us. Slowly he might even return to his old friends and old ways, for not all memories can be surpressed. Would he be willing to lose this comfortable ease and always be alert, always be on call so he might help guide children and admonish adults? Does he have the passion, the desire, to be a true adult?"

"Difficult to answer." The last voice was, thin, shrewish, but there was a hint of the old emotion beneath it as a raven-haired Asian stepped into the light. "But I believe so. Numbuh T is very conscious of the idea of service. He is willing to do anything to help out, and he thinks of himself very little. But more importantly, he know both sides and loves both. No one has perhaps had more of the joy and excitement of being a child, and yet possessed all the self-sacrifice and responsibility of an adult. Surely his account…" She gestured to a book on the table, "…as well as his behavior shows that.

"Then I am for it."

"I sure am."

"As am I. The decision rests with you, Numbuh Eleventy Billion. What do you decide?"

* * *

_  
_

_"Yo! Kooks! Over here!" _

_"Kuki. KUKI. My name is Kuki." The Asian sighed as she swept into the side booth. "Honestly, Wallabee, must you ALWAYS make such a scene?"_

_"What?" The tall blonde at the table spread his arms innocently. "You ashamed to be seen with me?"_

_"Sometimes, yes." Kuki snapped, but there were just the hints of a blush on her face._

_Wally laughed and spread his arms over the back of the seat. "Whatever. So how's the school's prettiest perfectionist doing?"_

_The blush was yet more pronounced, but Kuki did not falter. "Quite well, thank you. And you?"_

_"I'm good." Wally grinned. "Having loads of fun in biology class. Do you have any idea how fascinating the undersea ecosystem is? All sorts of creatures interacting in such fascinating ways... its like a whole new world."_

_"Yes, well..." Kuki allowed herself a small grin. "I'm sure it's interesting."_

_"Man, I hope I get the chance to go scuba diving someday." Wally mused. Suddenly his face brightened. "Hey, that gives me an idea..."_

_"Oh no." Kuki held up a hand. "Don't even go there. There is no way you're getting me into one of those bizarre rubber suits and breath canned air for who knows how long. It's just simply not happening."_

_Wally grinned but he dropped the subject. "And how's accounting?"_

_"Satisfactory." Kuki nodded. "It suits me well, and the teachers this year seem competent, unlike that IDIOT we had last year. My studies have been progressing very well."_

_"Good." Wally nodded. "Hey, didja hear Hoagie's little brother is graduating? He'll be in high school next year."_

_"Really?" Kuki mused on that a moment. "My, they grow up so fast, don't they. Wonder how he'll do."_

_"He'll be fine." Wally waved the question away. "He's Hoagie's bro, ain't he? Come to think of it, Hoagie and I ought to take him out somewhere to celebrate. It'd do him good." He grinned at Kuki. "You should come too. It'd be good. Shoot, Hoagie's started dating this girl Abby... he should bring her along. Make it a double date and an intiation ceremony at the same time."_

_"That seems unnessecery." Kuki shook her head, smiling at her boyfriend. "And it seems Tommy would be left out somewhat."_

_"Mebbe." Wally nodded in mock-sadness, then brightened as if an idea had just occurred to him. "Well then, the rest of us can still go out! Whaddaya say, Kooks? A double date with me and my pal Hoagie? Like next Friday? There's supposed to be some new movie coming out, we can go see that!"_

_Kuki regarded him a moment. "Did you make up that whole story just to ask me out on a date?"_

_Wally grinned. "Maybe."_

_"Honestly." Kuki rolled her eyes. "Can't you ever grow up?"_

_"I try not to." Wally grinned again, but it was a little odd this time. "I like to think there's a little ten-year old running around inside my head. But when I have to be, I can."_

_Kuki's expression softened, as if she realized she'd hit a sore spot. "Oh, I know." She reached forward and patted his hand. "You're plenty grown up, Wally. At least..." Her expression turned almost humorous. "You're more mature than half those hormone-obsessed immature idiots at our school."_

_"Hey, those are my fellow classmates you're talking about." Wally pretended to be affronted._

_"Shut up and let me console you." Kuki glared at him. "You're responsible, and respectful, and generous. You're plenty grown up, at least for me. And maybe, someday..."_

_Rather unfortunately, at that moment Kuki's cell phone rang. With a frustrated huff, she picked it up and stared at it for a moment, then stood up and picked up her bag._

_"I need to go, Wally." She threw him an apologetic look. "I'm sorry... business."_

_"You always get more calls than me." Wally frowned, as if jealous."_

_"What can I say?" Kuki smiled teasingly at him. "I'm a busy girl."_

* * *

The tall shadow sat deep in thought a moment. "Very well then." He looked up and nodded at a shadow at the far end. "Go, and fetch our newest member."

Stepping into the light, Numbuh 4 nodded. "With pleasure, sir."

* * *

**The End**

**

* * *

  
**

**A/N:** There you have it. I've been carrying these mysterious guys since Operation SEPARATION, and I figured it was time to reveal them. And this also sheds some light onto the final fate of Sector V, connecting it to Operation INTERVIEWS.

It was mentioned (With good reason) that the view of adulthood here seems to contradict Numbuh 74.239's earlier diagnosis. I hope this section answers that, as well as any other questions you might have. Of course, if you do have more, you could always review (I like reviews) and I would answer.

Again, many thanks to everyone, includng bsc999 (who I forgot to mention earlier) who wrote me a wonderful messaage about this story and inflated my ego far beyond what it should be. I hope you've all enjoyed the story.

Thanks.


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